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by Chukwuma Franklin Iyasere (Author)
One of the biggest problems we have created for ourselves in today's church is that we have people serving in offices where they have not been called into. "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Ephesians 4: 7. When the church leaders are not functioning in their gifts, they will not be able to accomplish the purpose of the leadership offices because they are serving where God did not intend to use them at that particular time. What then happens is that they become too busy working in someone else office and they leave their own original gifts wasted and unfulfilled. A good example is when a man does not know that he is called into the office of an Evangelist, and he decides to serve in the office of a Pastor. He will use up all his time serving inside the church as a shepherd whereas, God's intention is to use him outside the church to preach the message of salvation that will get unbelievers saved before they are directed into the church. This means that he will not have an encounter with the exact people Christ called him to minister to, and he will not be able to properly minister to the people inside the church because Christ has not called and equipped him for such service. This will only be making the church spiritually stagnant or pulling the church backward and giving Satan the opportunity to infiltrate the church with his evil schemes, drifting the Church far from its biblical roots, away from the fundamental doctrines which are vital to its effectiveness and spiritual well-being. The Bible speaks of how such people who are not using their gifts in the right way will be judged. They will be saved but they may not be rewarded for their services (1 Corinthians 3: 13-15). "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." Ephesians 4: 11-12. When Jesus gave these leadership gifts to the church, He wanted these gifts to be the tools to build up the church. To edify means "building up" in the same way as in constructing a house. When the church leaders use their gifts to function as Christ intended, the church will be quipped and strengthened, the ministry will be enhanced, the church will become effective and edified, new Christians will be established, and the congregation will be enlarged. This book discusses both the gift of spiritual leaders and how it is important for a mature, loving, unified Christianity. It is crucial to the health of Christian congregations that every church leader uses their God-given gifts appropriately.
