Eph 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Last week we began a series entitled “We are all under construction”, meaning that each and everyone of us, no matter the title we carry or the period of time we have been serving the Lord we are all in the process of becoming more like Christ.
Many Scholars of the word call this the sanctification process.
We have our salvation experience where we give our lives to Christ and transition from darkness to light, then we begin our sanctification process.
In our salvation experience this is a one on one experience with the grace of God.
Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
But in our sanctification process God chooses to partner with leadership and the body of Christ through the Holy Spirit to take you and I on this sanctification journey, a journey that will last from this life to the next.
Paul here in our opening text uses a key word to help us better understand the role and responsibility of leadership within our lives.
Eph 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
New King James
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
King James
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, hprophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints,
Perfecting or Equip – “The word “perfecting” is a form of the Greek word katartidzo, which is a compound of kata and artidzo. The prefix kata gives the impression of something moving downward, and the basic meaning of artidzo is to adjust. The word kata is an intensifier and pictures a movement from the top to the bottom. But when compounded with artidzo, it pictures an adjustment or tweak that is being made from “the top to the bottom. It implies that due to these adjustments and tweaks, whatever has been adjusted and tweaked is in good working order and can now function correctly.”
So therefore it is the responsibility of the leadership of the church to work from the top to the bottom making tweaks and adjustments to help God’s people be in good working order function correctly
Last week we learned that leadership is a gift, this week we will learn that leadership has a responsibility.
Eph 4:11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
So what Paul is saying is that if Leadership understands their roles and are allowed to operate in those roles as God designed, God’s Spirit will use them to bring adjustments and tweaks to the Church that will result in order, completion, and restoration where the Church is in need of it, so that the church can be healthy an able to fulfil God overall vision in society.
In order for us to better understand what God wants to do in our lives as we embrace leadership lets take a look at different places in scripture where this word Kata-artidzo is used.
I. To teach and correct
The first portion of scripture I would like to take a look at where we see this word Kataartidzo being used is when Jesus was teaching the crowds on being judgemental.
In Luke 6:37-38 Jesus says do not Judge, do not condemn, learn to forgive. For in the same way you do these things it will be done back a good measure pressed down shaken together and running over.
John 6:39 39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.
41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?
Fully Trained – Kata-artidzo
Fully trained – “the word katartidzo is used in Luke 6:40 to depict a young disciple who is being worked over by a master-teacher so that disciple can be equipped and prepared for what is ahead of him.”
What Jesus is saying is that the student that has a master or teacher or leader in their life, has allowed someone to help take the plank out of their eye, so that they can be a blessing to their fellow brother or sister.
But a student with no teacher and just student to student is like the blind leading the blind, walking around with a big o plank in their eye trying to point out the speck in everyone else’s eye.
So it is the responsibility of leadership through the preaching of the word, the teaching of the word and life on life discipleship, to help God’s people get the plank out of their eyes so that they can be a bigger blessing to the world around them.
II. To Repair and Restore
The next portion of scripture I would like to look at where we see this word Kata-artidzo being used in in Matt 4:21
21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets.
Repairing or mending – The word “mending or repairing” is a form of katartidzo, and in this context pictures them meticulously going over every inch of their nets to adjust and tweak them as needed. After a long day of fishing, they arranged their nets in proper order and examined them from top to bottom to see if they needed to be repaired or restored. A significant part of the process involved untangling the nets where they had become tangled. They did whatever was necessary to adjust, tweak, mend, or fix their nets so they would be fully operational for the next day of fishing.”
If the fisherman did not properly go through this process every time after fishing, then the next time they went out they would not be able to keep the catch they were working for.
It is important for you and I to allow a leader in our life to help us get untangled from unhealthy thought patterns, unhealthy sin patterns, unhealthy spending patterns.
To allow a leader to help us get repaired and restored from past disappointments.
A leaders responsibility is to help people get untangled and restored so that they can be in a better place to be able to keep God’s blessing and breakthrough within their lives.
III. To Calm and to heal
And the last meaning I would like to take a look at is the meaning that was given to this word Kata-artidzo in the medical field.
This word was not only a word used within scripture but it was also used in medical terminology in new testament times.
“In a medical sense, it was used by the Greek’s most famous medical doctor, Galen, an accomplished physician, surgeon, and medical researcher in antiquity. As a physician, Galen succeeded where others had failed in treating a diversity of patients that ranged from wounded gladiators to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius himself.”
“In his medical documents, Galen specifically used katartidzo to illustrate how a medical doctor could make physical adjustments to the human body to cause joints and limbs to work together with greater ease and thus bring a soothing and a calming to parts of the body that were previously in a state of distress and pain.”
Under the anointing of God ordained leadership through the preaching & teaching of God’s word and life on life discipleship peoples lives can be healed from the wounds of life or the wounds of sickness so that every part of the body can function the way God designed it to function with breakthrough and success.
Then the church can truly take her place in society and bring hope to a hurting world.
Eph 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
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