MY PASTOR: GOD'S GIFT TO ME -- Devotional for June 4, from "Good Seeds"

When He ascended Christ gave gifts to men and then sent those men as gifts to His church. Some of these would be pastors, whose responsibility it would be to equip God's people to serve Him in the world, and in the church. What Jesus is looking to achieve through all this is unity in our faith, and maturity in our works, all of which would measure up to His highest standards. (Ephesians 4:7-8,11-13)

A truth in the Bible that is as beautiful and fascinating as it is practical and useful is the truth concerning gifts. Now this word immediately makes us think about what you and I might give to each other, or even to the Lord. But the Bible says a lot more about what our all-powerful God can give than what a feeble man can give. In Romans 12 God’s gifts to men are seen in the context of the propensities and power that He places within us when He brings us into His family. In I Corinthians 12 God’s gifts to men are examined in terms of the effects and benefits they provide when properly exercised. But here in Ephesians 4 God’s gifts are not seen as powers or products at all, but as persons. Christ has surely given gifts to His people, but He has just as surely given some of His people as gifts! The church is described as a body, where Christ is the head, the command center, while the saints make up the great variety of body parts, each with a specific job to do. There is the church universal – all Christians everywhere, of all time. But it manifests itself in certain times of history in millions of localities all over the world. Think of these local churches as being like the first man, when he was first made: form and function were all in place, but until God breathed into him the breath of life, he wasn’t going anywhere or doing anything, because really, he wasn’t anybody, yet. That’s what a local church is: a nobody, a nothing, an unfinished creation, and as such not ready to take its place in God’s kingdom – until He gives to it men and women whom He uniquely designed and designated for its particular needs and tasks. The Bible teaches “the priesthood of the believer,” where each Christian, because he is indwelt by the Spirit of God, can live and move and have his being as a free-standing child of God. And yet, God would have everything in His kingdom done “properly and in an orderly manner” (I Corinthians 14:40). So, before going back to heaven, Jesus gave gifts to men, and then gave these men as gifts to His church – that is, to each and every local church. It’s high time we start seeing our pastors for who they really are, God’s gift to you and me!