Till…

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Ephesians chapter 4:

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,

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The five-fold ministry does not have a perpetual job but should at some point no longer be needed.  Ministry is not the ultimate end — it is rather intended to prepare us, nurture us, teach us, strengthen us, edify us "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ". And the apostle Paul continues to expound on this, showing us that the ultimate end of ministry is to lead the people of Our Heavenly Father into perfect Love.

Paul also wrote in chapter 2:

18  For it is through Him that we both have a [direct] way of approach in one Spirit to the Father.

19  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens [outsiders without rights of citizenship], but you are fellow citizens with the saints (God’s people), and are [members] of God’s household,

20  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the [chief] Cornerstone,

21  in whom the whole structure is joined together, and it continues [to increase] growing into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, set apart, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

22  In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Can a carnal-minded person exist in the presence of Our Heavenly Father?  Not at all, so we will be fitly joined together as we are perfected in Love.  When this perfection occurs, we will be in a glorified state and take on FATHER’S Nature.  Paul spoke of this in Romans chapter 8:

16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

And:

30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Each of us should expect to be perfected in HIS Love.  As this occurs, we will become a fully acceptable habitation for Our Heavenly FATHER to dwell in.  Love is the pathway to glorification as Our Elder Brother is glorified.  We do not need to complicate this Truth by conducting various rituals expecting FATHER to respond to our actions as though by our works we will attain glorification.  We need not wait until some future date or feast day to begin walking in Love so that we will be qualified to be glorified.  Yes, Love will produce good fruits as a result of our relationship with FATHER but we should not count on works alone without the emphasis of Love perfected in our lives.  Love is the key to full maturity of the Sons and Daughters.  If Love isn’t the motivator, no matter how many works one does, they will be to no avail.

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