Introduction:            In Ephesians 4:1-10 God tells us of the unity of His plan for believers. God tells us He has a plan for every believer and that plan involves each believer living filled with the Holy Spirit, living a godly life, and jointly working with other Bible believing Christians in carrying out God's purposes. God's purpose first is revealed in the life of the individual as we allow the Holy Spirit to direct us and guide us to living the life God has planned for us. Second, God's plan is that we work collectively with other believers.

           In Acts 1:8 Jesus explained to us that we were to be His witnesses in our present locations and around the world.

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

           The work or testimony believers are to have is found in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:19-20).

           God's purpose is that His children be witnesses to the unsaved world and take the "Good News" which is the saving Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ them. We must disciple, which is what the first word "teach" means in verse 19. Our task as Bible believing Christians is to instruct, disciple and teach the world of who Jesus Christ is and of salvation through Him. We are to do it in our town, county, country and throughout the world.

           How then are we to do that. How can one person carry out the Great Commission? The answer is simple. In one's local assembly of believer....that means in their local church. God created the institution of the local church so that believers could carry out His plan. When believers work together, when that join with each other with a unity of purpose, God uses us, the power of God is upon us and the Good News is taught and people get saved and grow in Christ.

           The Book of Ephesians was given to us by God to explain the details of His plan. It is to commission us to obey Him and work in unison to carry out His work. God wants to save the lost. Many times in the New Testament God states His desire. Two of these verses are:

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

I. The Order of the Local Church. (Eph. 4:11)
A. God is not the author of confusion, but of order. That means God has a plan and the plan is organized in such as way to allow the plan to be carried out. From life we know that when men work together, they need organization. There must be a leader who has the first responsibility and then there are those with whom he works to carry out the task at hand. It is true in our homes, in business, or any organization that is formed. A group of people with a clear leader, and chain of command will never be effective in doing their appointed job.

           So...God states here in verse 11, His organizational chart as to responsibilities within the early church and today.

           Note that God's word says He gave "some" to be apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor-teachers. He called men and gave them different responsibilities and task to coincide with the need or His will.

B . First there were Apostles. These were the men God called and discipled Himself who He used to give us He word. These were the twelve men who were the Lord's disciples. To that group He also added the Apostle Paul. To be a true Apostle one must have been personally called by the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. In Revelation 2:2, Jesus commended the Ephesus church because they tried those men who came their way claiming to be Apostles who were liars. This church rejected them. Today we have churches who claim to have Apostles...which also are found to be liars and should be rejected.

2. Today we do not have an apostles and after the Apostles of the Lord Jesus died, there were no more. They were important in the early church because God gave them special powers, of being able to preform miracles to authenticate their message that Jesus was the Messiah. The Holy Spirit inspired them to write God's word the New Testament and after the Jews had rejected Jesus as their Messiah the miracle or sign gift ceased. We do not need Apostles today as we have the written and inspired word of God from their hands.

C. Second there were Prophets. The definition of prophesying is "the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God." Some Apostles were used to foretell the future and give us God's written prophecies concerning the end times that are coming. However, not all Apostles were prophets. John, and Paul were both Apostles and Prophets, but mot of the others were not.
1. Another work of a prophet was to record God's word under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. A vital part of prophecy is the preaching of God's word. Preaching is prophesying. James, Luke, Peter, the writer of Hebrews were prophets speaking forth and recording God's word under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

2. Prophets were clearly then preachers in the early church whom God used to record His word.

3. Are there prophets today? Only in the sense that God is still calling men to preach His revealed word. I believe the office of a prophet in the early church was to proclaim God's word in that special time before the word of God was completely recorded.

4. 1 Corinthians 13:8-9 state that where there was prophecy it would fail. This statement helps us to understand what prophecy was. God's word cannot fail...so the statement here must mean something else. The word translated "fail" is the Greek word "katargeo" (kat-arg-eh-o) and means to be rendered idle or figuratively to cease or to be put away. Once the word of God was written, the need of prophets ceased because all men could read the inspired word of God for themselves.

5. Once the word of God was revealed God ordained the office and calling to preach the word to men.

D. The next office in the early church was the "evangelist" who is a "preacher of the Gospel."
1. To Timothy, the young preacher, Paul wrote,

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry" (2 Timothy 4:5)

2. Missionaries are essentially "evangelists" in that they go forth preaching the Gospel around the world. Paul was an Apostle beginning called of God personally and he had the sign gifts of doing miracles. Paul was a prophet in that he was used to reveal God's word to the churches and win people to Christ. Paul was an evangelist in that he was a missionary who went forth preaching the Gospel and starting churches.

3. Some may disagree with me on this, but I believe a true evangelists is a church planter. To be a true missionary one must be involved in planting churches. Why do I say this? Look at Paul. He was an evangelists and He started preached the Gospel in new areas, won folks to Christ and each time started a local church. Titus was an evangelist because Paul sent him to Crete to "organize" or "set in order" the believers who were meeting there. He was working in planting and establishing churches.

4. Philip as Acts 21:8 records was a missionary and church planter. Phil preached in Samaria and established assemblies there as well as being used by God to witness to the Ethiopian Eunuch who went home and took the Gospel to his country. Churches sprang from his preaching and missionary work.

5. I may be criticized for this because my view is not popular. I do not believe that the way many use of the word "evangelists" today is biblical and many who hold the title are not truly evangelists. Yes, they are "preachers of the Gospel" and they evangelize, but what is lacking is "church planting" as the result of their preaching. Most churches have an evangelist in to bring "revival" to a church. Revival means to renew something. Evangelists as exampled in the New Testament were not "reviving" but energizing people by the preaching of God's word and planting churches. However, I will leave that up to each individual pastor and congregation. As for me...I hold to the office to be a missionary. Certainly, an evangelists in not a man who preaches out side of a local church and under the authority of a biblical congregation. That means....no "John Jones Ministries, Inc."

E. The last office God has set up in a local church is the "pastor-teacher."
1. The word "pastor" is the Greek word "poimen" (poy-mane) and literally means a shepherd, or one who tends herds or flock. Vines points out that it does not mean one who simply feeds sheep, but one who tends to them and takes care of them. The pastor as a shepherd has the responsibility to spiritually take care of the sheep. Being a "shepherd" involved a number of different tasks which includes instruction, discipline, protection, and having the oversight over all the congregation.

           Note that in each of the other positions the office is preceded by the word "some." However, noting the teacher the word is omitted. It seems clear that omitting the word means the pastor and teacher are one. If God was establishing another office in a local church surely He would have said and "some teachers." Some have tried to use the term "teacher" to establish that deacons held an "office" in a local church. But grammatically that cannot be established by the way the verse is worded.

The fact that God used two words for the office is significant.

2. The Apostle Paul speaking to the churches stated he had been faith to teach them God's word. He then instructed the pastors to "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts 20:28-29).

3. This passages shows us that a pastor is an overseer and one called to shepherd the flock of God. He is to be an overseer, and to feed the congregation by preaching the word. Clearly the verse states that the assembly is the Lord's congregation, because He purchased it with His own blood. The pastor is therefore God's called servant to look after His children in their local assembly. It is not the pastor's church, but the Lord's.

4. The scripture is clear in stating the role of the pastor-teacher, but it only states his task or role. There is a further matter involved and that is the role of the sheep in his response to his God called shepherd.

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