I ended the last lesson telling you that I want you to begin to see yourself as part of an apostolic movement, equipping, empowering, collaborating and networking with like minded believers co-laboring to fulfill the Great Commission.
Paul laid out this pattern for building the community of the faithful through his apostolic ministry and it’s in the book of Ephesians that he lays out a framework for accomplishing the mission. Ephesians chapter 2 says we are being fitted together. It’s like a puzzle piece where each part fits in its’s proper position forming a picture.
You can have a box of puzzle pieces and throw them on the table, but they don’t make any sense, until you begin to put them together piece by piece and then you see the picture.
You are a piece of the puzzle called the body of Christ and it’s important that as a member of His body that you understand your part, find your place and work with others.
You were created to fulfill a purpose, but it’s up to you to take responsibility for using your giftings because no one else can do it for you. The author Myles Monroe once said: the greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life ... life that fails to fulfill its purpose and potential. Your potential is the ability God has given you to do what He has called you to do through the gifts he has entrusted to you. God never calls us to do something he has not given us the ability to achieve.
Formation is about coming together, where each member understands their gifts and roles, complimenting one another. I want you to find your place, in this net of relationships, we call the ekklesia so you can do your part.
The ekklesia that Jesus is building is not a rigid organization, but pictured as a flexible body.
Our bodies were made to adapt, grow, change and even heal themselves because our bodies inside and outside are interconnected. Our body is a beautiful, complicated web of systems that work together.
If a part of my body is not working properly then it hinders its full effective use. For example, if my right thumb is missing then I cannot hold on to things as well with that hand. If you examine Ephesians chapter 4, Romans chapter 12 and in I Corinthians chapter 12 you will see that Paul uses the example of the human body as a picture of a flexible organization working together. In each of these texts he uses the analogy of our bodies to show how its through our differing gifts which makes us function uniquely. At the same time it shows our interdependence on one another for growth, expansion and formation.
If you study the type of organization Jesus and the apostles established you will see it was not supposed to have power centralized in one person, but was to be like a body with power distributed throughout the organization. Every part of the body has a role to play in the success and maturity of the whole. Jesus is the head and through His Spirit He directs every member of His flexible, interdependent body to by faith use their gifts to work together. In each of these chapters that I mentioned Paul lays out a different set of gifts.
The first set of gifts I want to examine are the gifts he mentions in Ephesians chapter 4. These gifts are what we call the ascension gifts of Christ. Paul opens this chapter telling us that there is only one faith, one Lord, one Spirit, one Father and one body. He then talks of Christ's descent into Hades where he took the keys of the kingdom declaring his victory over death and the grave through his resurrection. Paul then tells us that when Christ ascended to the heavenlies he also dispersed his abilities to His body on earth.
Just as Jesus took 5 loaves and multiplied that to feed 5,000 people when he ascended He dispersed His abilities into five gifts so that his ministry could be multiplied through his body.
Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 says: he gave some to serve as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as shepherds and some as teachers. He distributed himself as gifts so His body would be equipped to carry on his work in the earth building, growing and expanding His ministry. The Ephesians chapter 4 text has a sense of system functionality just as our natural body.
Apostles are like our feet providing both stability and expansion. Prophets are like our eyes and mouth which see and speak. Evangelists are like our arms reaching out to the lost. Teachers are like our legs that give us strength of character, wisdom and faith formed through the word of God to keep us on mission during our journey. Shepherds are like our hands that are used both for being tender and protective.
Each of these gifts need to be fully active and present in the life of the body. If they are not then we not only diminish our understanding of the faith, but we introduce significant dysfunction into the body of Christ affecting its proper functioning.
I see the Ephesians 4:11 gifts as leadership gifts. It says these gifts are given to some for the purpose of equipping the entire body so that it can operate in the fullness of Christ ministry on this earth.
Leadership has two purposes which is keeping us on track for the fulfilling of mission and dealing with conflict resolution. Leadership is about supporting and undergirding the members of the body so that they can fulfill the mission of the ekklesia. A lot of people see leaders as the head, but the Jesus style of leadership is more like being the feet.
On the last night before they partook of the last supper Jesus humbled himself as a servant and washed the feet of his disciples. He was demonstrating a participatory pattern that he wanted from his leaders, which is to be like feet which support our bodies. Leadership is serving others with the God-given talents you have received.
It’s through Paul's ministry that we began to see a clear picture develop of a decentralized and reproducible model of formation.
In Acts chapter 13 Barnabas and Paul were set apart as an apostolic team then sent out. As they went forth praying and proclaiming the gospel using the keys of the kingdom to set captives free, they then made disciples forming communities of believers in the cities they visited. The apostolic team was building a net of organizational relationships, but before they could move on to do it again they appointed a leadership team to oversee, guide, encourage, instruct and equip the outpost they had established.
In the book of Acts, the epistles of Paul, Peter, John and James we see the term elder used as denoting those mature servant facilitators who were given authority to lead and govern the local churches that were established. In Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 we see five leadership gifts which Christ has distributed to his body. Paul, did not teach nor demonstrate a clergy class ruling over the rest of the body. He did teach that each member of his body has differing gifts, giving some the ability to speak and lead while others are given the ability to serve and manage.
All of the Ephesians chapter 4:11 gifts are speaking and leading gifts possessing a different aspect of Christ ministry.
In Lesson 47: Part I Order In The Church I taught you about two leadership positions mentioned in the New Testament which are elders and deacons. Being an elder is not a gift, it’s an office or a leadership position supporting and helping a local group of believers. I personally think it’s necessary for elders to have one of these gifts mentioned in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11, but the term elder when used in the Bible is specifically referring to the organizational leadership structure for local expressions of the body of Christ.
In I Peter chapter 5 verse 2 and Acts chapter 20 verse 28 the purpose of elders is explained which is two fold. Number one is to oversee. The term is used in the sense of a shepherd looking over his sheep. The shepherd was to make sure the sheep were healthy, safe and productive. He dealt with conflict resolution by breaking up fights. The shepherd took daily care for his flock and called back straying sheep. He also had a rod that he would yield to protect and keep wolves out of the flock. The second purpose of elders was to feed and nourish the flock. The spiritual leaders are responsible for feeding good spiritual food and keeping out false doctrine.
Now you will discover that the term elders is always used in the plural form which indicates this authority was not to reside in one person, but a team.
In the organizational development of the church we see another office for organizational structure develop. In Acts chapter 6 when the apostles had to deal with the conflict that arose over the management of food distribution and we see them choose servants to help them. Although the word deacon is never mentioned in Acts chapter 6 it became a term used by Paul alongside elders as the organizational structure of the local body of believers.
Paul opened up his epistle to the Philippians saying to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the elders and deacons.
Contextualization is understanding your audience and the culture that you are reaching. The main audience I am reaching is an American audience. As Americans we are all familiar with the terms leadership and management.
Paul was an organizational expert. He knew it took both leadership and management to accomplish the mission of the ekklesia. To properly understand leadership we must first distinguish it from management because both leadership and management are required for the administration of almost every venture. However, they must be recognized as separate and kept within their own spheres of authority. It’s what Paul did. He differentiated leaders from managers using the terms elders and deacons.
To make it simple leaders are big picture oriented while managers are detail task oriented and you need both to be successful. Paul in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 never gives any character qualification for these five gifts that Christ distributed for the building up of his body. However, he clearly gives character qualifications for elders which is the leadership team of the ekklesia and deacons which is the management team.
I think that it’s easy to assume that any Ephesians 4:11 gift that functions in a public ministry would be held to the same character qualifications. It’s in I Timothy chapter 3 that Paul lays out the character qualifications for elders and deacons.
Now before I get into this text let me go down the rabbit hole of women and their leadership role in Jesus ekklesia. I said in a previous lesson that the doctrine of baptisms and the Lord’s Supper has been some of the most misunderstood and abused teachings in regards to the doctrine of the church. In like manner, the role of women in regards to the organizational leadership of the body of Christ has been very misunderstood. I believe this misunderstanding has limited both the effectiveness and functionality of Christ body.
The roles of men and women are being greatly challenged, confused and distorted in our postmodern culture. The postmodern lie of relativism says truth is whatever you make it. Satan was the first post modernist who destroyed morality through relativism where there are no absolutes, but just the mushy grayness of man being his own god.
What we can’t allow to happen is to let societal pressures push us into extreme positions concerning the roles of men and women because it will hinder our mission, as the body of Christ.
If you’ve been following this school then you know when it comes to foundational doctrine we must follow the words of Christ and the apostles doctrine. Foundations do not change; they must be rigid, fixed and immovable upon the rock of Christ. In the last lesson I explained the difference between being a rigid idealist and a flexible pragmatist when it comes to forming the body of Christ. In regards to building the church, Paul called himself a wise master builder. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 10 thru 11 Paul says, according to the grace of God given to me like a wise master builder I laid a foundation and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
We need wisdom to build. The ekklesia is to be an apostolic people movement built through relationships which includes both men and women. I do not have the time in this lesson to adequately address this topic. I am just going to hit a few highlights, to give some clarity and I will eventually do a full lesson covering the topic of women, serving as leaders in the body of Christ.
Origins are important, so lets get back to the beginning. In Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 it says that God made them both male and female in his image. Men and women, husband and wife are equal, yet distinctly unique in so many ways. To suggest otherwise is a dangerous path to go down, as it implies female inferiority and potentially even a lower grade of human. The sad fact is that this has been the attitude at different times, in varying places and cultures even still existing in some areas today.
Scripture states emphatically that male and female are equally and uniquely created in the image of God. Eve was taken from Adam’s side, flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones: to be his co-worker and co-equal partner in stewarding creation.
In this text, there is no suggestion that the male was to be the head of the woman. That is something that is just not there and has to be read into it. When God created Eve from Adam’s rib: his intent is that she will be unlike the animals, but an equal partner to the man. The woman is simply a man with a womb. Equal, however different. Male and female are biologically and physically different. Not only that, there are differences in the way males and females think and feel which means they both bring something different to the table.
When the table has only one side, male or female around it, there is an imbalance and we are not getting a healthy, well rounded perspective.
As a result of sin, the original design between man and woman was distorted and corrupted. Humanity's sin, distorted God's design and intention in every sphere of life: resulting in fear, mistrust and the desire to have power over another. As a result, we have seen suppression and oppression as the dominating controlling structures in the human experience. Relationships were turned on their head and abuse followed. However, when Christ stepped into time, he brought not only salvation, but also restoration.
To restore, means you bring something back to its original condition. Jesus did not just come to restore the human soul, but he also came to restore how we relate to one another.
The kingdom message that Jesus proclaimed leveled the playing field. In Christ we are all on the same footing. Christ truly is the great equalizer where relationships are reframed and restored in him. In Christ, the old way has been found wanting and judged. Paul says as a result of union with Christ there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female since you are all one in Christ Jesus. It was truly a revolutionary idea challenging the hierarchical structures of society.
Jesus's body is called to be the example of a community restored to original design through the body and blood of Christ.
In the midst of a racist, oppressive and abusive age we are to demonstrate the acceptance of Christ. We are to be a community, living the cruciform life, mutually submitting one to another where love rules. The great theologian and historian F.F. Bruce says: no more restriction is implied in Paul’s equalizing of the male and female. In Christ there is an equalizing of the status of Jew and Gentile, of slave and free person. If a Gentile may exercise spiritual leadership in the ekklesia as freely as a Jew, or a slave as freely as a citizen, then why not a woman as freely as a man?
Now before I move on to I Timothy chapter 3 where Paul lays out the character qualifications for elders and deacons. I want to quickly address the controversial texts of 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and 1 Timothy chapter 2 which seem to prohibit women from speaking publicly in meetings and having leadership positions among men. It’s always key to remember that contextualization is king when studying the Bible.
Context involves not only the chapter, the book and the Bible as a whole, but also the historical, cultural and literary context. So what does the context of these controversial texts tell us?
If you examine I Corinthians chapter 11 verses 2 through 16 it was evident that Paul was addressing a specific cultural situation concerning head coverings. Now, I don’t see head coverings being an issue in modern America, unless you are addressing the Muslim community in some areas of the United States. Paul was addressing a specific situation in Corinth, but even in this context he did not not prohibit women from taking part in the meetings. He affirmed and encouraged the role of women in public prayer and prophecy just look at verses 4 and 5. Paul then encourages the entire body to operate in the manifestations of the Spirit in chapters 11 and 14 with no prohibition or exclusion for women.
The prohibition is for wives interrupting services and is mentioned in Chapter 14 of I Corinthians.
Eugene Peterson in his Message translation does a good job of translating this text very accurately. He says: wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking.
Paul wasn’t talking to women in general to be silent nor for all times, but was addressing a unique situation for that particular time. Unlike in America, during that time period, most women were uneducated and therefore encouraged to learn at home. Husbands normally had some level of education so wives learned from them instead of interrupting the meeting.
American culture in 2024 is completely different. Here in America it’s estimated that in 2022 women actually had a 10% higher ratio of earning a four year college degree over men of the same age.
The context of all that Paul is dealing with here is proper order or the healthy functioning of the body when it meets together—not excluding women from a seat at the table of our organizational structures. By extracting these verses from both their immediate and larger context we can make them say something that Paul never intended.
Let’s take a look at the most controversial text which is 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 12. It says I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man rather she is to remain quiet. In looking at the historical setting of this epistle you will discover that Timothy was part of Paul’s apostolic team and was left in Ephesus to establish organizational leadership after Paul had left. Paul was writing to Timothy to give him an instruction manual and character qualifications for organizational leadership.
Have you ever heard the term lost in translation? Well I Timothy chapter 2 verse 12 is definitely one of those texts lost in translation.
The Greek Scholar Spiros Zodhiates says: the word woman should be translated as wife which is confirmed by the context because in verses 13 and 14 Paul discusses Adam and Eve or husband and wife. Timothy was at Ephesus at the time of Paul’s writing, a place well known for the cult of Diana. If you read Acts chapter 19, you will see that it was the silversmiths who created idols for this temple, who created the riot as a result of many people turning away from worshipping idols through Paul's preaching.
The cult of Artemis taught that Eve was the originator of Adam and that she was the goddess of life. It taught the superiority of the female and advocated female domination over the male.
Paul seems to be addressing a specific situation by saying the wife should not be trying to dominate her husband and not a general prohibition against a woman teaching a man. I do think there is a valid argument made for women being modest and not using their sexuality to control, manipulate and dominate men which is all in the context of this text. Just as men shouldn’t use their anger and brute force to dominate women or a husband his wife because both men and women should exercise self control.
What we have done far too often in the church is use certain texts to relegate women to some type of inferior place to men and subordinate to their husbands in ways that God never intended.
The whole teaching of husbands being the head of the wife or women in general being subordinate to men is a result of sin and the curse. Coequality and partnership was the original intent.
The body of Christ as the redeemed community must fully understand the participatory way of the cross in our relationships. We must affirm the unique roles and differences between men and women, husband and wife while giving full functionality to both.
Coequal means we are unique yet interdependent learning to live the cruciform lifestyle of faith working through love. Its about mutual submission under Christ our head following the way of the Spirit cooperating as a team.
Let’s now examine I Timothy chapter 3 where the requirements are given for leadership. It’s very easy to read into this text making it say things that it’s not saying. Paul says: an overseer must be the husband of one wife therefore many jump to the conclusion that this statement definitely excludes women. Not so quick.
In Greek, husband of one wife simply means a one-woman man.
It's an idiom or way of speaking. It’s saying: a man can’t be a polygamist having multiple wives which was a cultural reality in those days. Yes, America has laws outlawing polygamy so not really an issue here. One woman man, is also a reference to marital faithfulness and sexual purity something which would certainly also apply to a woman.
If the phrase husband of one wife were to be taken literally then it raises more questions than answers.
For example the reference to children is not singular, but plural. Does that mean to be an elder or leader you have to be a married man with a minimum of at least two children? That would rule out singles and couples without children from leadership. As a matter of fact that would have ruled out Timothy who was a leader in Ephesus and Paul the founding apostle who was writing this letter because both were single. It’s obvious Paul did not mean that to be an elder or overseer you have to be a married man with more than one child.
I know the term pastor as the leader of the church is ingrained in the American psyche. However, nowhere in the New Testament can you see where one man is set to rule over the body of Christ. It’s absent from the scriptures because we only have one king, one head of the body and one high priest. In saying that, I would also conclude that one woman should not be appointed as the sole leader rather scripture indicates elders as the leaders which is plural therefore teams are essential for governing.
I think part of the problem in America is that we have made the pastor a position like the CEO in corporate America.
Does it work? Yes it can work. However, if you look at the church in America it has exacted a great toll on those who fill this role and it’s why pastoral burnout is at an all time high. The expectation is for the pastor to be the expert, the smartest person in the room and the answer person for every question. The load for the health and vitality of the church rest to an absurd degree on one person’s shoulders.
Now let's look at the character qualifications for being appointed to the leadership team set forth in I Timothy chapter 3. It becomes clearer when we read it in a way that truly reflects the Greek. The Common English Bible for example renders the Greek into English in a way that recognizes the fact that there are no masculine pronouns or possessives in the text at all though translators persist in putting them there.
The Common English Bible does a good job of translating the text of I Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 thru 7 saying: that if anyone has a goal to be a supervisor in the church, they want a good thing. So a supervisor must be without fault. They should be faithful to their spouse, sober, modest and honest. They should show hospitality and be skilled at teaching. They shouldn’t be addicted to alcohol or be a bully. Instead, they should be gentle, peaceable and not greedy. They should manage their own household well—they should see that their children are obedient with complete respect, because if they don’t know how to manage their own household, how can they take care of God’s church? They shouldn’t be new believers so that they won’t become proud and fall under the devil’s spell. They should also have a good reputation with those outside the church so that they won’t be embarrassed and fall into the devil’s trap.
If you look at these qualifications you can see that gender, age, race and social status are not mentioned.
Marriage is not a requirement, but if you are married you need to display faithfulness and cooperation because your marriage is going to be an example for others to follow. If you have children then how you relate with them will also be an example for others to follow. The price of leadership is not for everyone and leadership comes with a cost. Leaders will be targeted for persecution, temptation and false accusation by the devil because he understands the powerful influence servant leaders possess through the example of their lives. If you don’t want to live this way then that’s okay because leadership is not for everyone.
Let me make some comments on this list of requirements. Sober, which means leaders can’t have addiction problems of any kind. The fruit of self control is a character trait that must be displayed in those who lead. Modest which means leaders don’t have a problem with greed and know how to manage their finances. Honest which means leaders live an open transparent life.
Leadership means you live in a glass house because people are going to be watching you.
You know the Bible actually says others should be watching you because your life is an example of how to live their lives.
An age requirement for leadership does not exist, but it does say they should not be new believers mentioning pride as a snare. We don’t know for certainty, but it is estimated that Timothy was around 16 when he first started traveling with Paul. I Timothy was written at least 10 years after them first meeting, so that would put Timothy in his late 20’s at the writing of this text. It takes time to mature in your faith and if you put someone in a place of leadership before they are ready it can cause harm to them and those to whom they’ve been appointed to oversee.
It also says leaders should have a good reputation in the public sphere.
If they have a business do they run it honestly? Are they hard working and reliable? Are they known to sleep around with the opposite sex, party and live a wild lifestyle or are they sober and chaste? It’s another reason you don’t appoint a new believer, especially if they were previously a criminal, addict or someone who slept around. It takes time to heal inwardly and develop your spiritual lives. It's possible they also need time to repair their public reputation. I’ve watched people get put into public ministry too soon and it can be tragic for them, the body of Christ and it’s a bad testimony to the public who is always looking for a reason to throw stones at your glass house.
It says they need to be hospitable, which is the willingness to let others into your homes, into your lives and serve them. It says they should not be thin skinned or get angry easily. Lastly leaders should not be pushy, domineering or manipulative, but gentle and not quarrelsome or argumentative.
Paul then goes through and list the qualifications for deacons and you will see that many of these qualifications are exactly the same as for elders. A few key differences is that leaders are required to have character traits which are needed to deal with people and conflict resolution skills. It’s why they shouldn’t be pushy and domineering, but gentle and not quarrelsome.
Eldership is a public leadership position that will interact with people and you must be able to teach, it’s a requirement.
Yes, due to particular gifts and abilities some leaders are going to be better teachers and public speakers than others. Leaders in particular are called to be able to articulate a well rounded understanding of the faith. 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 1 and 2 Paul describes himself as a steward. Paul said one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God as I clearly articulated in Lesson 33: Stewardship.
It’s a grave responsibility to be stewards of the mystery and elders are the public leaders making sure the core mission is being fulfilled which is implementing the four main practices of Jesus ekklesia. The ekklesia is more than a social club, but its the pillar and foundation of the truth. It’s a requirement to speak publicly and it’s why I believe all elders or leaders will have one or a combination of the Ephesians 4:11 gifts because these are the leadership gifts Christ has given to lead his body.
New believers are restricted from becoming elders or leaders, but it doesn’t say that deacons can’t be new believers.
I personally think it’s because Paul saw managers or deacons as potentially a place of leadership training. No, not all deacons will emerge as leaders, but we do see those like Phillip and Stephen, who emerge from this group in Acts chapter 7 and 8 to be leaders. Deacons are the managers supporting and helping with the practical implementation of the mission in a variety of ways.
To fulfill the mission we need both leadership and management working together. However, there are so many ways you can uniquely serve with your gifts. Just to name a few would be music, media, drama, children ministry, youth ministry, marketplace ministry, helping the needy or starting a new mom’s group. The number of ways to serve are as unique as each person.
I want you to begin to see yourself as part of an apostolic movement equipping, empowering, collaborating and networking with like minded believers co-laboring to fulfill the Great Commission.
I want you to find your place in this net of relationships we call the ekklesia so you can do your part. Jesus did not give us a blueprint on organizational structure and as the old saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat or there is more than one way to get from point A to point B. In Lesson 46: The Lord’s Supper I showed you this picture of the Macro-Ekklesia and Micro-Ekklesia. As you are listening to this you may already have your form of the ekklesia that is working for you. If that’s the case then great, maybe I can just help you sharpen your tools for a more effective use of your organizational form. One of my goals is to give you some alternatives.
Let’s look at the task of educating your children. Homeschooling has become a thing again due to the educational chaos in many school districts during COVID. As a result of technology new methods of education are evolving.
Virtual classes today online are not a lot different than sitting in a real classroom. However, education is more than just learning, but it’s also socialization, music and sports activities. It really does take a village to raise a child. Through the power of technology, parents involved with their child’s education can connect with other parents involved with their child’s education through homeschool networks.
The homeschool network is a lot like an apostolic team supporting and undergirding families in a larger community.
In this model, you have the micro-school at home, then the macro-school where multiple families come together for socialization activities, music/drama and even sports activities. What used to be an isolated, socially disconnected way to educate children has been transformed into a more holistic model producing well rounded adults. In the next lesson I want to show you how apostolic teams are transforming the ekklesia in the same way.
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Next Lesson: Lesson 49 - Equipping the Saints
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