In one of my recent blogs, I think I left you with the thought that the church is you, - the redeemed sons and daughters of God, living and working in society and all of creation. That your life, work and worship are key to God's divine strategy. In fact we are to ‘image-God' in all of life, that's our human calling.

To enable us for this task, Scripture says, each one of us has received a specific measure of grace (an underlying motivation or grace) from God, in the form of one or more of the five-fold ministry graces spoken of in Ephesians 4:11, these five being the apostle (establishing ability), prophet (creatiing ability), evangelist (promoting ability), pastor (relating ability), and teacher (educating ability). In my book, ‘Heaven's Answer To Earth's Dilemma' the term that I use to describe these grace-gifts of Christ, is ‘vocational grace motivations'. 

In the late 90's I realized that I had stumbled onto something in Scripture that was significant in understanding the church as 'fullness'. It is important for kingdom believers to see themselves equally as the church in society and creation everyday of the week, if not more than on Sundays. That the Trinitarian gifts of, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and their outworking in our lives are for every day of life, not just for religious gatherings or church meetings or missions activity.

The critical passage of teaching on these vocational grace-gifts is found in Eph. 4:7 and 11.

My basic premise is that verse 7 is directly connected to verse 11 and therefore needs to be understood in that light. Paul starts in verse 7 by plainly stating this fact: ‘to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift'. It is hard to argue that ‘to each one' means anything other than these graces are for ‘all' the saints. In verse 11, Paul states that Jesus ‘gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers' What I'm suggesting is, that the ‘some' who are to be apostles, prophets etc. are amongst the ‘all', not merely amongst the leadership or a select group of individuals.

As well as the five graces outlined in Ephesians, there is, I believe, another important ministry grace motivation taught in Scripture. In Acts 6:1-7, we read about the rapid numerical increase of the church. This required the Holy Spirit to release a new charisma of leadership and ministry grace. This ministry grace motivation - practical leadership (functioning ability), was given so that the church could function efficiently as it practically served and cared for those who were in need.

These vocational grace motivations have been bestowed upon ‘everyone', in different measure relative to their assignments in God, whether they work in an office, a factory, a school, a business, or in a local church setting. A person's vocational grace motivations are essentially connected to their ‘being' - their anointing in God. They are not just about what a person does; they are about who a person ‘is'. Understood as such, they become key ‘grace-drivers' in someone's life.

Over many years, my observations have led to the discovery that people usually have two main grace motivations operating in their lives, with one of these being more influential or dominant than the other.

I've only just whet your appetite here concerning these vocational grace motivations but you can find out more on this exciting discovery in my groundbreaking book, ‘Heaven's Answer To Earth's Dilemma'. Better still, why not consider doing my life-changing seminar, 'Vocations 4 Life', which has been developed to assist people of all ages and from all walks of life, to understand and apply their gifts and ministry calling in all of life. I've had 18 year olds to 80 year olds do my seminar. All have been impacted, positioned and connected stronger to their eternal inheritance as a result.

On my website - www.vocations4ife.com there are a number of comments from those whose lives have been changed, some dramatically, after completing this life transforming seminar.

The last words here belong to Paul, who, in Ephesians 4:11-16 called for a way of leadership and life that would equip, empower and release the saints for their works of service in society and all of creation.

Friends, it's time, time to see the reality of that church: to equip, empower and release the people of God to be that church, "the fullness of him who fills all in all" (Eph 1:23).