December 07 2025

Sunday December 07

“Some Pastors and Teachers”

Ephesians 4:7-11

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift… And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.”

Today we're looking at Ephesians 4:7-11. This is where we have been talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Remember the Holy Spirit is the Gift, the Promised Gift of the Father, that we receive at the moment of our salvation. But along with the gift of the Holy Spirit living and dwelling within us, we also have the gifts of the Holy Spirit that help the church to function as it should, to grow, to edify and to be built up, so that it is a wonderful witness and testimony to the world as the body of Christ revealing who Jesus really is.

We see the gifts of the Spirit are given so that the whole body of Christ might profit as we read in 1 Corinthians 12:7. Now we notice that Paul is keying in on four specific offices that are vitally necessary for the leading, the oversight, and the feeding of the church. He mentions those here in verse 11. He gave some Apostles. Those were the initial twelve men that Jesus Himself called. Then alongside these Apostles, with the next gift and office were the prophets. Together these two callings, gifting and offices, laid the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20).

Then we notice the next office and gifting was, “some evangelists”. Of course, these are the ones who spread the word of God with a special gifting as they traveled and as they ministered in different locations. They most likely were the church planters. Like Peter, when they would preach people would respond to the gospel under conviction of sin and come to know Christ as their Savior. This office and gifting is especially exercised for the growth and expansion of the church.

Then Paul gives the last office, and He uses two names that indicates two specific giftings. “Some pastors and teachers”. The fact that the word "some" is not repeated indicates that we have here one office with two ministries. The word pastor means shepherd. A shepherd is someone who cares for the sheep. Two other words are used for the same office in the New Testament, which are elder and bishop. We see them in 1 Timothy 3 and also in 1 Peter 5.

In 1 Peter 5:1-4, Peter had a specific message for the elders as leaders in the church.  “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” Notice he told them to fulfill the role of shepherds as pastors.

I believe one of the special callings that God revealed to me as a young believer, along with a special gift that goes along with, was to be a pastor shepherd to the flock of God, and to care for His sheep. To be a shepherd means you love the sheep. Remember Psalm 23 where David writes, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. What example do we have from the Lord Jesus Christ? He cared for the sheep. He leads the sheep. He leads them by example and He gave His life for the sheep.  No doubt Peter is thinking of this in 1 Peter 5. Again the “good shepherd, cares for the sheep, feeds the sheep the Word of God, leads the sheep, and protects the sheep from false teachers and doctrines (Acts 20:28-30).

That's why the companion gift of teaching has to be in the life of a pastor. When Paul gave the instructions for the elders in the early church, they had to be able to teach God's word, understand God's word, have the knowledge of what God's Word represented, stood for, and how it should be proclaimed. This is all very crucial for the church, the flock of God, to be healthy and productive. So, pastors and teachers, these are gifted people who help care for the flock, protect the flock, lead the flock, and they take time to visit the orphans and the widows, as we read in James 1:27. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the father is this. To visit the fatherless, the orphans and the widows in their affliction and to keep themselves unspotted from the world”. 

A pastor does this by example as he cares, protects, teaches, feeds, and leads the flock of God. Pray for your pastor today as he fulfills this wonderful ministry to the church! And pastors, we would do well to take heed to Paul’s parting words to young pastor Timothy, “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5).

God bless!