trades and tools

How do we sort out the various references to gifts in the New Testament? With the missional church emphasis on the APEPT giftings of Ephesians 4 it is increasingly important to get a grip on the Spirit's gifts so that we may be used by Him as workers to build God's arriving Kingdom. Let me offer an analogy from the world of "building" that might see us through. AnnaBeth and I live in a new residential area into which there is a daily procession of white vans :) To the uninitiated this might be a strange sight indeed. Strangely enough they proceed out of the area again at dinnertime. They are, of course, the vans of the various tradespeople who join forces to bring houses from the beginning to the completion of construction. There are carpenters, plumbers, electricians, roofers, painters to name only a few of over 50 construction trades! As the doors of these white vans are opened for business at the various building sites it's fascinating to peer in at the assortment of tools displayed inside, arranged for access and use throughout the day's work. From trade to trade the tools vary, but many are also common to more than one trade. The hammer, for example, is on the toolbelt of the roofer, the carpenter, the plumber, the electrician.. Here's the idea: Think of the the fivefold giftings of Ephesians 4 as the trades of the church and the various lists of gifts elsewhere in Paul's letters (Romans 12, 1Corinthians 12) as the tools of the trades. Each Christ-follower (yes, to every last one according to Ephesians 4.7) has a base calling, a trade identity as apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher. In each one's toolkit (or white van) is a set of tools that allow the trade to do its unique work. The result is a buzz of activity and the exciting, coordinated completion of the building. So, the uniqueness of the calling is contained in the APEPT design by which we exercise our home passions and abilities as innovators, provocateurs, promoters, caregivers and organizers. These are rather rigidly fixed in us, hardwired into our redeemed selves, mutually needed and valued. And we reach into the mix of tools for those with which we are familiar and those which we notice that seem just suited for the particular job we are on at the moment and offer a new way of getting it done.