“It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature……You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.”Ephesians 4:11-13, 22-24 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/eph.4.12-22.NET
A big auto strike is occurring between labor and management in the country. There remains a strike in the church between labor and management. Labor, everyone not on vocational staff, thinks the work of ministry belongs to management. Too often, management has this same view, for they have been occupied in it so long, and their self-importance causes them to think labor is their vocation when management is their calling. Management in the church, the vocational staff, are to equip labor, the non-vocational staff, for effective labor. Effective labor is winning the world to Christ, building up His body, and discipling the world to obedience to Christ; everyone mature in Christ, just like Him. This is the work of labor whose vocations are outside the church and among the people to whom they are to labor for building God’s kingdom. Management does not touch these people because they are in the church. This explains why so few are coming to saving faith. Management cannot do what labor must do. The solution? Labor must understand their role and stop living like they did when they were the lost. Labor must engage the Word so they know God’s ways and can be equipped to do God’s work living as Jesus lived in the world. Labor must insist management do its job of training and then engage in their work of building.
