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 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.
-Ephesians 4:11-13
At the Gospel Rescue Mission, we are on a quest to serve the local church. Too often, the body of Christ is at odds with themselves. The local church tends to take on the role of pastor and teacher. That is as it should be. I am encouraged by the number of pastors that take their role seriously and protect their flocks.
Additionally, the local church teaches the Word of God to their flock and encourages them to live a life that is honoring to God. This is done through small groups, Sunday School, and weekly church gatherings.
In the same way, GRM takes seriously its role as Apostles. We are sent by the church to the lost and desperate. We spend time with the poor. We have dedicated ourselves to being Christ to those that struggle with addiction, with criminal pasts, with mental illness and who generally feel hopeless.
GRM takes their role seriously as prophets. We see the dangers in our community in new versions of street drugs, of the welfare cliff, and the growing number of folks who struggle with mental illness. The only hope for these and other community dangers is Jesus.
GRM also takes serious our role as evangelists. Imagine teaching an audience where a vast majority of those in attendance are among the lost. That is what we get to experience nearly every day.
As I have laid out here, neither of us can do the full five-fold ministry alone. We need each other. Building the Body of Christ … Together we can empower the Body of Christ with the Holy Spirit leading the way to be all that God created them to be.
