“He gave apostles, prophets, evangels, shepherds and teachers to prepare and position the holy ones to operate in serving within the systems of Christ’s body” (Ephesians 4:11-12).
The elders are the kingdom leadership dynamics Jesus bestowed upon the kingdom Ecclesia as He ascended with all authority in Heaven and Earth. He designed and assigned them to “prepare and position” the holy ones to function in the building, body, and bride of Christ.
When this happens, Jesus is more the capstone, head, and groom than at any other time or in any other way. Jesus is more involved with His kingdom Ecclesia when the kingdom leadership dynamics are fully operational.
Oddly, people say that the strength, authority, and leadership of kingdom leaders detracts from the leadership of Jesus, but Jesus is the One who designed and assigned them to represent His leadership! The idea that this would limit Jesus the Head, Jesus the Capstone, or Jesus the Groom is absurd and irrational. Doing what Jesus designed and assigned elders to do could only result in a greater manifestation of His kingdom culture.
Paul uses the Greek term that means, “adjustment that enables the individual to operate or function properly together by the integrity of the design for the system.”
This word in Ephesians 4:12 is the noun, used only here by Paul. The verb means to “restore to ultimate usefulness consistent with an intended purpose.” It describes fishing nets mended, broken bones reset, the “worlds were prepared by the word of God,” “vessels fully prepared for destruction” by reaching the end of mercy, and praise reaching its highest in the mouths of nursing infants.
To gain the full meaning of the word, we need to think about both preparation and positioning, and we need to consider positioning as the guide for development. We can miss an essential element if we include only one of these meanings since the word communicates a result that is measured by people in operation within a designed system.
The building, body, and bride of Christ are composed of more than one person, and no believer lives outside this context. The Bible has no concept of a believer living separate from the kingdom and its regional Ecclesia.
Elders Father Believers Into Operational Integrity
You cannot properly live in the kingdom without proper connectivity to the design and definition of Ecclesia. You can be in the kingdom of God and preparation, before positioning, before functionality, connected to the fathering leaders who discern and discover your position so they can prepare you to function where the King created you to be. But, you cannot produce any fruit for the Father outside this relational dynamic, including your submission to the eldering leaders who serve as the King’s representatives.
When we examine all the Scriptural presuppositions, commands, models, and revelation insights about kingdom leaders, we see fathering preparing and positioning inheritors as the ultimate understanding of mature sons and daughters living in the kingdom culture.
We can, of course, single out particulars, emphasize what we wish, hammer the Bible into a church-growthism and church-anity, or simply make the Bible say what we want it to say and ignore the Message. We can do that. Tens of millions of believers do – then they complain about the “church not being like the one Jesus wants” when they actually mean it isn’t the church they want.
Eldering leaders give account for preparing and positioning believers as inheritors of kingdom purposes, citizens of the regional kingdom culture, and operational components (metaphorically speaking) of the building, body, and bride of Christ.
These are the conclusions of the Bible. This condition describes blueprinted revelations of the King’s design and definition of kingdom leadership. This context describes the cultural principles, processes, and protocols of the kingdom. Nothing else can fulfill the King’s expectations and anticipations.
