One of the most instructive passages in the Bible to me as a preacher is Ephesians chapter four. Verse eleven provides legitimacy to my calling as well as to your pastor’s. The verses that follow give us purpose for that calling. “And he gave some…evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4:11-12
Certain men were given to the church to lead in accomplishing the goal which comes in three stages. Each part of the goal leads to the next. We are to help Christians grow in the Lord (“perfecting the saints”) in order that we can do the work of the ministry which should lead to the body of Christ being edified. While the concept of “edification” sometimes means that members are built up (or encouraged, strengthened), in this case it is the entire body that is to be edified or built up. That happens as the body grows. The body grows when more members are added to it.
The end of verse sixteen clarifies this: “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Edifying equals an “increase of the body.” This is talking about people being saved.
Sometimes we develop a mindset that the Christian life is only about doing the work of the ministry. But that is not the end of things. It is the means to an additional goal. That goal is increasing the body of Christ. Once “members” are added, they can be plugged back into the beginning of Ephesians 4:12 where they can begin to grow in the Lord in order to work in the ministry and see the body increase some more. It is a wonderful cycle that God has developed.