Last week, we started working through Ephesians 4:7-16. We didn't get far, only up through verse 12. It's a difficult passage, and I guess I talked a lot.
This morning, I want to start by quickly retracing Paul's argument, and then hopping back in at verse 13.
Verse 7 reads like this:
Now to each one of us was given this grace/ministry according to the measure of Christ's gift.
The idea here is simple. Jesus gives each of us a ministry, as he pleased. This ministry may have nothing to do with our own natural abilities or interests. Or it may. That's up to Jesus. But the important thing is, Jesus gave each of us a ministry.
Verses 8-10 are a quotation of Psalm 68:18, followed by an explanation.
Therefore , it says,
"Rising into the height, he captured captives,
he gave gifts to people."
Now the "he rose"-- what/who is (it) except that he also descended to the lower part of the earth?
The one descending-- he is also the one ascending above all the heavens,
in order that he might fill/fulfill all things.
Almost everything in here is debated, but the main point goes something like this: only Jesus descended and ascended, so the psalm must be talking about him. And if the psalm is talking about him, then the end result is this: Jesus gives gifts to people.
What gifts did he give? Verse 11 tells us:
And he gave, on the one hand, apostles,
on the other hand prophets,
on the other hand evangelists,
on the other hand pastors and teachers
Some of you are going to be tempted to read this and say, Jesus is giving people the spiritual gift of evangelism, or teaching, or prophecy. But the idea here is that Jesus gives these people to the church as a gift to the church.
Jesus gives gifts to people. Jesus gives apostles to the church.
Why did Jesus give apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers and pastors as gifts to the church?
Verse 12 tells us:
for the fixing/equipping of the holy ones
(1) for the work of service/ministry,
(2) for the building of Christ's body,
Each of us is given a specific ministry for the church. We are the holy ones. Leaders fix and equip us, so that we can do the work of ministry, and so that we can build Christ's body-- the church. Leaders are like mechanics, or doctors. If we are unable to serve because we are caught in sin, they can correct us in love, and restore us in love. If we don't know the basics of what it means to follow Jesus, and what God's big plan is for us and the world, our teachers can help us. They fix us, and equip us, so that we can serve and do the ministry Jesus gave us to do.
In verse 13, Paul gives us the end goals:
until we all reach
(1) for (e??) the unity of faith and the knowledge of the son of God,
(2) for (e??) the perfect/mature man,
(3) for (e??) the measure of the maturity of Christ's fullness,
There are three end goals to all of this. Here again, Paul basically numbers them by repeating the preposition at the start of each one.
(1) The first purpose is to reach, as a whole, as a church, the unity of faith and the knowledge of the son of God. If you notice that for #1, there's one preposition-- one "for"-- given for both of these. What that tells us that the two ideas are closely related. In Ephesians 2:14, we read that Jesus is our peace. He is the one who tore down the wall separating Jew from Gentile, and made peace between all people, and between all people and God.
If we know what Jesus has done for us, and if we see how important peace is to God, we will strive to live in peace with each other. So when leaders fix us, and when we serve, this is the goal we are working toward. What we want is this: to live in peace with each other, in the knowledge of what Jesus did on the cross for us to bring us together.
The second goal is this: "until we all reach the perfect man." The word for "man" here is the word for an adult man. The goal then is that we all grow up, and become perfect, mature adults. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus said, "Be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect. Our Father is absolutely perfect. Our goal is to be like our Father. Your goal can't be, "I know I will always sin." You don't get to set the bar low. God's goal is that we will be perfect. And we keep striving together, as a church, to grow toward God's high bar. We need to stop saying we will always sin--or at least, say it far less often. We need to stop letting this comfort us. Our goal, is that all of us, as a body, become perfect.
The third goal is this: "for the measure of the maturity of Christ's fullness." Jesus is full. He is full of glory, like his father. He is exalted in heaven. He is everything God wants in a son. He lacks nothing. Paul's prayer for the Ephesians, in 3:19, was that they would be filled with God's fullness. So the idea here is something like, "growing in maturity, until we are full like Jesus is full." The goal is to "be all that God wants you to be."
So these are the three end goals. If we hit those goals, we will be set for verse 14:
in order that no longer we may be infants,
being tossed by waves and being carried by every wind of teaching
in the people's trickery,
in cunning for the deceitful scheming.
When I was in college, and just dating Heidi, I used to drive her crazy. I'd read a book, and I'd be confident it was right. It explained everything perfectly. And then 2 months later, I'd read a different book, and decide I'd been wrong. I'd have these huge swings in theology. Back and forth, back and forth. None of the things I was agonizing over were at the core of Christianity, but that's not always the case. There are people out there who teach things that are incredibly wrong, and incredibly dangerous. For example, the Ephesians seem to be worried that they are missing out on some of God's blessings because they are Gentiles. Should they become Jewish Christians? This is incredibly dangerous and wrong--but how can I prove that to you? Well, if you understand what Jesus did on the cross for you, and that God's plan was to make peace between all people and himself in Jesus, you won't be tempted to Judaize-- to become Jewish by putting yourself under the Mosaic covenant. What would be the point, given what Jesus has done for you, and given God's plan? The Bible, and theology, if done rightly, are anchors that keeps you from being tossed by waves and every wind of teaching. If you are grown, mature adults in Christ, you're not going to be nearly as vulnerable to false teaching.
And by this, I don't mean, teaching that misinterprets points here and there. Every week, when I write sermons, I have to make dozens of choices about who is right and wrong on a particular point, and how I should understand something. There are scholars who are godly men and women, who don't always get it right. I don't always get it right. If you and I disagree about the interpretation of a given passage or verse, it shouldn't tear you up inside. People are going to constantly disagree on things.
What Paul is talking about here isn't that. He's talking about people who are pushing dangerous, false teaching. These are the big ideas that can shipwreck your faith. They will mess you up. When a Mormon comes to your door, how vulnerable are you? Do you find yourself being pulled in by their slick teaching? Do you have to just not answer the door, because you know you're vulnerable? Our goal as a church is to grow in maturity, so that we don't fear Mormons-- or anyone else. Our faith is anchored strongly in Jesus, and we are going to be tough to move.
Hopefully, your teachers really are gifts from Jesus, and they are helping your faith become more and more stable and mature.
Verse 15 (with the "Now," Paul indicates his argument is taking a step forward):
Now, speaking the truth in love, we must grow in all ways into him
who is the head, Christ,
from whom the whole body--
being joined together and being held together through every supporting ligament according to
the working of each single part--
makes the growth of the body
for the building of itself in love.
We, as a church, are Jesus' body, and we are supposed to grow in all ways into him. It's like we are already united to him, but we need to be more united. We grow into him, and we help others in this church grow into him more, in every way.
Jesus gave each of us a ministry to build the church. Each of us are like supporting ligaments, that hold the body together. We all were given a grace--a ministry-- to do this. This ministry is maybe given to help the church grow outward, and reach our community with the good news about Jesus. Or maybe it's a ministry that helps the church grow in spiritual maturity. I don't know. I don't know what grace Jesus gave you. But he gave you a special job to do, and that job-- and you-- are central to holding the church together.
I said last week at one point that this passage has the potential to change everything about the church. It should challenge us, and how we view ourselves, and leaders, and how we all work together in the church. What I want to do at this point, is give you two pictures, of two churches, to help you see at a practical level what this looks like.
Our first church we will call the KJV church. This church reads Eph. 4:12 like this: Jesus gave leaders to the church as gifts for three main reasons. Leaders fix the holy ones; leaders do the work of ministry; leaders build up the church. Leaders know and decide what ministries the church will do. They plan everything out, and then they grab enough of you to run each particular program. They decide the curriculum. They make all the decisions. If you have a ministry idea, you have to justify it to them. You have to explain to them how it fits into the church's mission as the leaders understand it. Leaders do the ministry. They lead, they counsel, they baptize, they give communion, they hear confession, they evangelize. The church supports, and grows.
Our second church we will call the every-other-translation-of-Ephesians 4:12 church. In this church, the people understand that Jesus gave each of us a ministry as a gift to the church, to build it up and strengthen it. This is the ministry that you devote yourselves to. If you are walking in the Spirit, somehow mysteriously-- or maybe in a way that isn't mysterious at all-- Jesus will draw you toward a specific ministry. This ministry might already be going in the church, or it might be something completely new. You feel this pull, and you think to yourself, "I think this is my ministry." You bring your idea to the pastor, and he's surprised. You can tell; he's surprised. This doesn't mean he's upset. Far from it. He's thrilled. Your pastor understands that Jesus gave you a ministry, and this ministry is one he never, in a million years, would've thought of starting or leading himself. He encourages you, he asks you what you need. He gives you a key for the church, because you need the building. He tells you, he's not going to play an active role in this. He might never show up. But he's legitimately happy about this. He gives you his blessing; he prays a blessing over you and your ministry. And he offers to brainstorm, to help you get it started.
This isn't a false example. I had a crazy idea two years ago. I felt pulled to teach a Greek class at my home church. It's crazy, right? Most pastors would look at this, and they'd think, "Seriously? If I could have someone volunteer 5-10 hours a week doing something in the church, it wouldn't be teaching Greek." But when I asked the pastor at the time if he'd be okay with this, he was genuinely excited. He told me, happily, that I was the third person in a week to come to him with a ministry idea. As a leader, who knows what ministry God will choose to bless, and how he will use that in the church? Maybe your crazy idea will be the one that leads to revival in the church. Maybe it will end up being the single greatest outreach in the history of the church. Maybe it will change just one person's life. Who knows? And as a leader, when people come to you with an idea, your response is to be thrilled. Here is someone who is walking in the Spirit, who knows what Jesus wants them to do to serve the church.
This ministry of mine is winding down. A month ago, I felt a pull to think about how to wrap it up. I have no explanation for why. And now, for 2 months (and counting), I've found myself writing sermons as fast as I can, for reasons I can't explain. I can't go two days without working on them, or I start going crazy. I don't know what Jesus is doing. I just feel like he's preparing me for something. Maybe more regular pulpit supply? Not something at my home church. And if my wife read this, she'd be shocked. This is not how I talked, for most of my marriage. This is weird.
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I wrote this maybe 5 years ago. And just as an update, this is what God has done with it: One of the kids in the class-- a teenager-- is thinking about becoming a Bible translator as a career. Another student dropped out with health problems, but she got her enough to make her for more zealous about God's word. My two oldest kids who were in it, were exposed to a much higher level of biblical study than they knew existed. And for myself, it started the process of me cleaning my life up spiritually, drawing closer to God, and changing how I spent all my free time. And every sermon I post here, happened in part because my pastor said "yes." It's become the "yes" that keeps on giving-- that snowballs.
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Jesus has given each of you a ministry for the church. It might be up front; it might be behind the scenes. It might be inside the church; it might be reaching out. All of us are supposed to tell people the good news about Jesus as we have opportunity, but maybe your ministry is to really go after this. Jesus wants you to open your house up and show hospitality to people. You are supposed to have people over to watch football, or play games, or go fishing with them, or whatever. I don't know. And somehow in all of that, God will take that and bless it, and draw people to himself. I don't know what Jesus wants you to do. But he wants you to do something. He gave you a ministry. And you need to figure that out.
I want to finish this morning by talking a little about the idea of spiritual gifts. Some of you have taken tests, or gone through classes, where you are supposed to find your spiritual gift. I haven't studied 1 Corinthians in detail, so I don't dare comment on that. But I will say this, based on what I've read in Ephesians, and from the way Paul has talked about "the grace that was given to us."
(1) Each of us is given a ministry. There is no idea in Ephesians or 2 Cor. 8 of a special ability. Jesus gave each of us a ministry in the church. And the gifts Jesus did give, are leaders. Your pastors are Jesus' gift to you.
(2) The spiritual gifts material can give you the impression that whatever ministry Jesus gives you, is yours for life. If you are a teacher, this is your job. If you are a prophet, this is your job. Let's turn to 2 Cor. 8:1-5.
8 We want you to know, brothers,[a] about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor[b] of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
The job Jesus gave the Macedonian church, as a whole, was to give generously to the Jerusalem church that was suffering from a famine. They gave way beyond their means. This was the "grace" given to them. This was their ministry. There is no idea here that this is the ministry Jesus gave them for all time. There is no idea here of special ability. Whatever ministry Jesus gives you, might only be for a season. If you are a new Christian, Jesus doesn't want you to be an elder or teacher. Biblically, you can't be (1 Timothy 3:6). And the reason you can't be an elder, if you're a new Christian, is that it would be dangerous for you, because it's ridiculously easy, when someone gives you a mic, to think you're hot stuff. It's hard not to get big-headed-- and if that happens, God can't really use you. But as you mature as a Christian, maybe, down the road? Who knows? Your ministry can change.
(3) Third, and I don't have a verse for this one, so view it with a little more suspicion maybe. In my experience, when Jesus wants you to do a particular ministry, you will feel pulled toward it. This is a ministry that you are supposed to be able to view as a privilege, and a responsibility. It doesn't mean it's not hard, or painful at times. But it's truly a privilege. My dad went to seminary. He has a pastoral degree- an MDiv. My dad is not a pastor. When he's been in leadership roles, he's been miserable. He knew that this was not the ministry Jesus had for him. And this is not something that's changed in 40 years. The ministry Jesus gives you, you are supposed to view as a grace. It's a sign of Jesus' favor, and kindness toward you.
(4) Many of you maybe really don't do much in the church. This could be because you've always thought it's the pastors' job to do the ministry of the church. You're old school, KJV. Jesus intends for you to be a blessing to the church. He gave you a ministry. Your ministry is not to warm your spot in the pew.
(5) Some of you know that you really aren't able to do much in the church. You can't serve, because you know you're caught in sin. Your leaders would love to help you truly repent. They won't condemn you, because they know how easy it is to fall into sin. But if you need help, get help. Go to the people Jesus gave this church to fix you. Go to your leaders.
(6) Some of you can't serve very well because your faith is so shaky. There's so many things you don't understand, and you know you're vulnerable to all kinds of false teaching. Jesus gave the church leaders for that as well. There are people in this church who would love to mentor you and strengthen you, so that you can serve the church. So that you can do the ministry Jesus gave you to do.
Don't be a KJV church. Understand that Jesus gave each of you a ministry to build up the church in unity, and maturity. Figure out what ministry Jesus wants you to do. Then do it.
Ephesians 4:7ff, Part 2
Now, to each one of us was given this grace/ministry according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore , it says,
"Rising into the height, he captured captives,
he gave gifts to people."
Now, the "he rose"-- what/who is (it) except that he also descended to the lower part of the earth?
The one descending-- he is also the one ascending above all the heavens,
in order that he might fill/fulfill all things.
And he gave, on the one hand, apostles,
on the other hand prophets,
on the other hand evangelists,
on the other hand pastors and teachers
for the fixing/equipping of the holy ones
(1) for the work of service/ministry,
(2) for the building of Christ's body,
until we all reach
for the unity of faith and the knowledge of the son of God,
for a perfect/mature (adult) man,
for the measure of the maturity Christ's fullness,
in order that no longer we may be infants,
being tossed by waves and being carried by every wind of teaching
in people's trickery,
in cunning for the deceitful scheming.
Now speaking the truth in love, we must grow into him into/for him with reference to all,
who is the head, Christ,
from whom the whole body,
being joined together and being held together through every supporting ligament according to the
working by measure of each part, makes the growth of the body
for the building of itself in love.
