You can be the most talented race car driver of all time.  You can have the fastest car.  During the race if you pull over and change your own tires and fill your fuel yourself then you are going to lose the race.  You can take elite driving classes.  You can tune up the car.  But that’s not the problem.  You need help to win.  This is a picture of the church today.  Our Pastors are pouring themselves out to win the race but getting further and further behind because they need help.

God has ordained help.

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

This is often referred to as the five-fold ministry.  This is the model God has used and is using to build His church, unfortunately the church in America has decided to ignore 4/5 of the model.  We like pastors.  The pastor whose God ordained drive within his heart is to shepherd and guard the flock puts his all into it.  Then there is an issue with doctrine or discipline that rightly should fall in the Apostle’s lap to govern the church.  The Pastor steps aside from his rightful place to guard and helps with governing.  Then the call comes for guidance.  Where are we heading?  What’s the vision.  The pastor is not the prophet but his heart drives him to fill in as pastor/prophet to help guide the church.  Next is the call to gather so he does his best to help train as an evangelist.  The entire time he is expected to be the teacher week in and week out.  The pastor is certainly able to teach but he is still being asked to devote his precious time that should be guarding the flock doing someone else’s job.

This my friends is how you lose the race.  God’s model is for Apostle’s to govern, prophets to guide, evangelists to gather, pastors to guard, and teachers to lay a sound foundation.  Ignoring any part of God’s model is hurting His bride.    It is time for God’s people to honor His word and quit responding with what we can’t do.  The biggest obstacle to correctly establish God’s model to prepare His bride for eternity is money.  I suggest we quit trying to use a model that has the race car driver be the pit crew too and trust God to provide for what He has called us to.  I suggest we quit telling God what we can’t do and start asking God how we should do what He wants us to do.

Today is the time to ask God to align you in His body according to His calling.  Write it down.  Ask Him to confirm it.  You may have to change.  That’s ok.  That is where you will find God’s supernatural blessing.  That is where God will be glorified so the world may know His goodness and grace.  God is shifting the parts of His body into alignment with His will.  If you are being shaken then you should consider why, for the only thing that cannot be shaken is the Kingdom of God (Heb 12:28).  It is time heed the call and align ourselves with His will.