THE SUPREME MYSTERY – THE BODY OF CHRIST
ACT II: The Mystery of The Body Unveiled
4. DIVERSITY IN UNITY (Eph. 4:7-16)
INTRODUCTION (important to use accompanying slideshow):
Have you, like me, ever wondered wondered how it is that a container made up of many, curved pieces of wood can be water-tight? And, who and how did anyone ever think to try this? I mean pottery and even hollowed-out logs had already been invented, why this?
Please allow me to briefly describe what is involved, as I believe that a water barrel is an excellent illustration for how and why God has designed and built the church! Pay attention and see if you can discover the connections.
First, each individual strip of wood, or stave, must be individually chosen and shaved according to the master craftsman’s precise specifications and plan. These stave are then assembled beside one another – even the top and bottom of the barrel are collections of individual staves. Next comes the most difficult and important part: binding the staves together so perfectly as to be literally water-tight. This can only be accomplished if all of the following occur:
1.Each stave is individually selected and shaved in order to perfectly fit together with the others on either side.
2.The staves are then carefully, but with the necessary pressure, fit together tightly and perfectly.
3.To ensure that the staves stay that way without even the most minute separation, they are bound and held firm by at least three strong, iron bands around the entire body of the barrel.
Only when all of this has been accomplished just so, can you have a truly water-tight and thus effective water barrel able to fulfill its created purpose - even against the tests of time!
With this understanding, let me ask another question: what determines how much water the barrel can hold? There are a few factors:
1.The number of staves used.
2.The tightness, or lack of separation, between staves.
3.The flexibility of the staves.
4.The length of the staves. Specifically, it is the SHORTEST stave which determines how much water the barrel can hold!
Did you figure it out? That’s right, the barrel is the church. The staves are its members, and the water is the fullness of the grace and power of Jesus Christ!
As we return to Ephesians this morning, we will look closely at what is THE QUIENTESSENTIAL TEXT ON GOD’S DESIGN AND MANDATE CONCERNING: THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH; AND HIS ORDAINED STRUCTURE FOR FULFILLING HIS PURPOSE!
IT IS ALSO GOD’S FORMULA FOR “CHURCH GROWTH.” (show slide of cartoon “Faith Boutique”) Oops, that’s not it! Perhaps we should just stick to GOD’S Word?!
THE WORD: READ EPHESIANS 4:7-16
A.)EMPOWERED BY GRACE FROM CHRIST (vv. 7-10)
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (v. 7)
ALL Christians have been endowed, by grace, with at least one spiritual gift. There are NO exceptions! EACH one of us has been empowered by Christ and called to play a special part in God’s plan!
These gifts and resultant roles are given by Christ and in perfect measure to what is expected of each one of us. Therefore, by His grace, each of us has all the ability/power/wisdom/etc. that we need to fulfill His purposes.
Therefore He says . . . He ascended . . . (vv. 8-10)
These special graces are given to us from the most awesome and all-powerful source!
The quotation in v. 8 is from Psalm 68:18.
Ps. 68 is what some may call a “Victory Ode.” It celebrates Almighty God as the conquering King and deliverer of His people. Within the psalm, it describes an incredible, victorious procession of 20,000 “chariots of God,” “thousands upon thousands” and the LORD God is there among them – leading at the Head (as represented by the sacred Ark of the Covenant)! Trailing behind are lines of captive prisoners. This great procession is making its way through Jerusalem and up to the temple mount to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and tribute to God for the great victory. This tribute is referred to as “gifts” and would be given as a portion (tithe) of the riches (literally in this case) God graced them their victory (and plundering). The verses that follow describe an anticipation of the final victory of God over all His enemies and the worship of God by the peoples of the earth that will follow.
Paul is directing us to Christ’s victory in His death and resurrection! The ascended Messiah and King has triumphantly returned to Heaven, having triumphed over Satan and the curse of Sin, delivering the captives! And in His ascension He is also distributing spiritual gifts to His people. What the people (we) do with these gifts (that is, our faithful stewardship) on earth is the choice we must each make and the responsibility we must bear!.
What does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? (v. 9)
The idea that Jesus descended into Hell during the 3 days between His death and resurrection is a poor and FALSE interpretation which “reads into” the text while ignoring the immediate and greater contexts of the Scripture!
As already mentioned in Eph. 1:20-21, “he ascended” refers to Christ’s return from the earth to the highest heaven. His corresponding “descent” to “the lower parts of the earth” is a clear reference to His Incarnation. The specific mention of “the lower parts” is simply an emphasis on the fact that His Incarnation represented not only a physical descent but also a form of humiliation in taking the form of a man, relinquishing the exercise of many of His divine attributes, total submission to the Father, and even becoming sin for us (2 Co. 5:21). A descent beyond our imagination or comprehension!
. . . that He might fill all things (v.10)
He descended from the highest heaven to the lowly earth, from His throne to our cross. But then, he burst into the air in victory and exaltation! Returning to His throne in the highest heaven, He fills the entire universe with His glory! He reigns as the Savior, Reconciler and Conquering King of all that is and proceeds to joyfully and lavishly bestow gifts upon His “subjects.” He blesses His people and His church with abundant gifts of grace and the power of His Spirit to exercise and fulfill these gifts; fully partaking in His Kingdom and glory!!!
Even as He pervades the universe with His glorious presence, He supplies His people and church here on earth with absolutely everything necessary to advance the growth of the Body until it achieves His own fullness. Hallelujah!!!
B.)ACHIEVED THROUGH DIVERSITY IN UNITY (VV. 11-13)
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers . . (v.10)
Paul does not here list the grace-gifts themselves (as in 1 Co. 12:4-11), but rather focuses on those who receive them.
1.Apostles and Prophets: These are foundational gifts that were given to a limited number of individuals for a specific and limited time. The Apostles were those who saw Christ in His resurrected form, performed miracles in His name, were specially chosen by Christ, and eyewitnesses to His power and accounts on this earth. As such, there was only one generation of apostles and none since. Prophets were those who were uniquely called by God as His direct mouthpiece to humanity, delivering His direct revelations until the completion of the Scripture. With the completion of Scripture, the role and calling of prophets ceased.
2.Evangelists: R. Kent Hughes refers to evangelists as “the obstetricians of the Church.” Evangelists are gifted to facilitate new spiritual births. They are gospel preachers who present Christ’s free gift of salvation by grace through faith. They may also train and equip others to do likewise. The ministry of the evangelist is exercised outside of the church, and for the church. The church could not continue to grow or even exist apart from the evangelists.
3.Pastor-Teachers: The Greek grammar here ties these two terms together. R. Kent Hughes refers to pastor-teachers as “the pediatricians” of the church. The evangelists bring new spiritual babies into the church and the pastor-teachers tenderly nurture, clothe, protect and teach them through full maturity. The pastor-teacher is a “shepherd,” but Paul here gives extra emphasis to the shepherd’s role of teaching. NOTE: the shepherd is not responsible for acquiring the sheep, but for caring for them. Nor does he own them, he is a steward!
For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. . .
The above gifts/roles are to be exercised so as to help all the members of the church discover and use their own roles and gifts. EVERY member of the Body has a role to play and service to perform!
Q: Do you know what yours is? How are you fulfilling it?
ALL Christians are to be fully discipled, equipped and engaged in some kind of regular ministry! As each member does its own part, so the whole body is edified and grows. Have you ever considered that your own hesitation/inactivity is not only holding back your own growth and fulfillment, but that of the entire Body?! Are you an absent, broken or short ’stave’ in the water barrel that is Perth Bible Church?
The text here presents Four Stages of Growth:
1.Evangelists facilitate new spiritual birth through communicating the gospel.
2.Pastor-teachers shepherd and equip all the saints.
3.The saints, having been equipped, do the work of ministry.
4.As a result, the Body of Christ is built up and the process is perpetuated indefinitely.
In other words, as we all do our part, we will all grow individually, others will be blessed, and the church will experience health, maturity and growth!
Till we all come to the unity of the faith . . .
This is the first part of the goal! The “unity of the faith” is essentially unity in spirit through our common, saving faith in Christ the Lord. It is by faith that we are reconciled to and united in Christ. Similarly, it is through this unity that we may then be united to one another.
NOTE: unity does not equal uniformity! Diversity of gifts and roles in the church is both necessary and desirable!
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ;
This is the second part of the goal! Our glorified Lord is The Standard to which we are to aim. The Body’s growth does not reach full maturity until it has grown to the full stature of Christ Himself! Thus, our growth (and pursuit of it) is to be a continual endeavor!
We are to keep adding staves, tightly bound together and collecting the water of His grace until we’ve received all there is to receive!
C.)THE “GLUE” THAT KEEPS UNITY (VV. 14-16)
The ‘”glue” to unity is maturity and expressing “truth in love,” as each member of the body fulfills its own role and works together interdependently with one another, but completely dependent upon the Lord!
Immaturity is marked by fickleness, instability, unreliability, gullibility, and lack of grounding or direction. By contrast, maturity is just the opposite – steady, focused, full of truth and love, committed to others, diligent in one’s role.
Corporate maturity is understanding that each one of us functions best when we are (1) in union with Jesus and (2) in union with each other. And it is only by living in love and in truth that we achieve this and that the Body may be built up!
CONCLUSION:
What a tremendous vision and calling the Lord has put before us!
Now what will YOU do with it?
What will change in your life to better live in line with His Word?
Will you choose to be a strong and tall ’stave’ in the Lord’s church?
To be tightly bound without any separation from the rest of us?
Will you add your gifts, your strength, your calling to the overall capacity of Perth Bible Church? HOW?
First, you must be sure you have been saved . . .
