Bible Truths Illustrated by J. C. Ferdinand Pittman

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BIBLE TRUTHS ILLUSTRATED
unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4: 11-13).
Thus, to some, supernatural gifts were imparted, which was
essential in the establishment of the Christian system, but when
the church was set up, the work was to be carried on by the
natural abilities of its members, supplemented, of course, by
divine help. "Having gifts differing according to the grace that
was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according
to the proportion of our faith ; or ministry, let us give ourselves
to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; or he that
exhorteth, to his exhorting," etc. (Rom. 12:6-8).
Each member, according to ability, is to help in the work of
the ministry. In Christ's church, sinecurism must have no
place. All should use their gifts, some in the ministry of the
Word, others in the diaconate, the work of Bible-school teaching,
visitation, tract-distributing, and in countless other ways,
"unto the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:12).
558. We call attention to the fact that the ministry of the
church, in the New Testament, is mutual and general; it is a
ministry in which the members minister, according to gift or
ability, to each other's good, and a ministry in which each and
every member is to participate. Thus, in Romans 12, after a
call to his readers to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, their reasonable service, Paul appeals to
every man of them not to think of himself more highly than
he ought to think, but so to think as to think soberly, according
as God had dealt to each man a measure of faith. This
sober thought, or, literally, sanity of thought, is the estimate
of one's powers for service which is neither too high, urging
to do what one has not the ability to do; nor too low, leading
one to depreciate his powers and to remain idle, ministered
unto, but not ministering. "For," says the apostle, "even
as we have many members in one body, and all the members
have not the same office, so we, being many, are one
body in Christ, and severally members one of another."
Lancelot Oliver.
559. In the Christian Endeavor World a large front-page
illustration was printed, called "A Moral Moving Staircase."
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