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The Purpose of God: Ephesians Chapter 7: The Body of Christ (4:1–16)

The church in the New Testament is made up of those who are called out from the world, from darkness, from damnation, from paganism, to become members of the body of Christ.

church- called out ones, eklessia. The assembly, the gathering, called to assemble. Walk in a manner worthy of your new calling.

You’ve been called to this, as the called out ones, the CHURCH.

The Message of Ephesians (7. Unity and Diversity in the Church (4:1–16))

Paul sees an alienated humanity being reconciled, a fractured humanity being united, even a new humanity being created. It is a magnificent vision.

Now the apostle moves on from the new society to the new standards which are expected of it. So he turns from exposition to exhortation, from what God has done (in the indicative) to what we must be and do (in the imperative), from doctrine to duty, ‘from the credenda … to the agenda’, from mind-stretching theology to its down-to-earth, concrete implications in everyday living

John R. W. Stott, God’s New Society: The Message of Ephesians, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 146.

Paul took us from Doctrine to Doxology now to DUTY. From the Credenda to the agenda. From mindstretching theology to it’s down to earth… concrete implications in everyday life.

UNITY OF THE BODY.

MEMBERSHIP IN THE BODY

Within the unity of the body each member has a distinctive part to play, a distinctive service to perform, for the effective functioning of the whole. The ability to perform this service is here called the “grace” given to each

F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1984), 339–340.

Monocultures.

Diversity.

Monocultures, can’t resist spreaders and disease. There isn’t enough diversity to balance the wildfire outbreaks.

The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians (3. Provision for Spiritual Health and Growth (4:7–16))

The new humanity on earth, it is here emphasized, must grow up to adult maturity in order to resist all the adverse forces that threaten its health and effectiveness.

The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians 3. Provision for Spiritual Health and Growth (4:7–16)

he could not address them as spiritual men and women but as “infants” in Christ,” still needing to be fed with milk rather than solid food (1 Cor. 3:1–2). Similarly, the writer to the Hebrews tells his readers that “everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is an infant” (Heb. 5:13). No blame is attached to the people addressed in 1 Peter for being “newborn babes,” because they are recent converts; but they are urged to develop an appetite for “the pure spiritual milk” and thus “grow up to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2).

The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians 3. Provision for Spiritual Health and Growth (4:7–16)

Infants are defenseless, unable to protect themselves; in the spiritual life they are an easy prey for false teachers and others who would like to lead them astray from the true path. Like ships at sea without adequate means of steering, they are tossed about by the waves and carried this way and that according to the prevailing wind. Maturity brings with it the capacity to evaluate various forms of teaching, to accept what is true and reject what is false. The mature “have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14).

Title: Walking Together

Introduction:

Speaking to Hope.

Last week, I saw a lot of people working together.

Brian had a medical emergency. The church body worked together in unison but not all doing the same work.

The timeline of our church. People talk about the shelf life. The history, we are at 20th year. We are going through significant growth and excitement and looking toward a building project that is likely to begin next year.

I’ve been around long enough to know this will not happen without some challenges and spiritual attacks.

Unity of the body of Christ working together in unison and championing our diversity. Finding our unity in the spirit and serving in the diversity of the gifting.

Walking

Called Together (1-2)

CALLED-OUT-ONES

Walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called… verse 4 also mentions your call.

Ek - out of

Kaleo - to call

Eklessia - the assembly, gathered called out ones. The CHURCH!

The church: people called out of the world to form a new society, distinct community.

Your physical presence attending church communicates your spiritual holiness and set apartness to God because you are showing how you are called out of the world into the family of God… by being the assembled and gathered people of God. You are called out of darkness and into the kingdom of God.

On the contrary, your physical absence is noticed and should be noticed. I’m not talking about a here or there absence. I’m talking about a habit of forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, you’re denying your spiritual identity by physical disconnection and separation from who you are called to be and how others people see the church.

When you attend church you are operating in both physical and spiritual identities converging. When you take of communion the same happens.

You are “called out ones.” And the main way you display your called out-ness is by displaying

Walk Worthy of Your Called-Out-Ness

this is how we walk together for the long term as a church.

PAUL URGES us

Humility and Gentleness

Patience

Bearing With One Another in Love

to hold with, showing tolerance, to endure.

Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace

Eagerly looking for ways to maintain unity, already there through the Spirit.

Keeping the bond of peace in tact. Not cutting the cord. Not separating the connective tissue of the body. But keeping us joined together.

Implication: It’s gonna take some work.

this is how you walk together.

Stick Together (4-6)

You are one, so stick together.

ONE

Trinity: One Spirit, One Lord/Jesus, One God/Father

One SPIRIT:

One hope We are all called out together and we are all looking for the same thing. We all hope in the Spirit to transform us now and for Jesus to return.

One hope: Eph. 1:10 - to unite all things in heaven and earth.

One Lord/Jesus:

one faith - we place our faith in Jesus Christ, and he becomes the source of our fatih and the central focal point of everything.

one baptism - we are baptized into Christ’s death and we are baptized into his resurrection. We are baptized

One God/Father

Of all —> goes back to last chapter. Jews and Gentiles are one family now with the same spiritual Father!

There is ONE BODY.

The church.

Creeds?

One Trinity.

Unity.

Gifted / Diversity Together (7-12)

Unity does not mean uniformity.

Monocultures.

Singleness of faith, hope, and love. Does not mean this all looks and applies the same in every culture. Christian faith transcends culture, ethnicity, society, time period or history. It is the most versatile of any major religion. It forms and shapes into any culture.

missions work, doesn’t have to look Western, American, or evangelical per-say.

DIVERSITY

diversity of groups. Harvard changes and many groups, have changed the way they accept students and people based on ethnicity or gender quotas.

Diversity issues, there is a tipping point, Malcom Gladwell would argue. For monocultures, lack diversity and lack the resilience. They are all the same, look the same, talk the same, act the same, think the same. So then when one false teaching or you might put it this way, when one infection airborne pathogen comes along it spreads like a pandemic. There is not resilience to resist.

The church is the most diverse group on the face of the planet.

Socially economic, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, male and female.

Paul says, Your Diversity is a strength!

The Spirit gave you each a spiritual gift.

You all have a gift to contribute to the growth of the body.

We are not all supposed to be teachers, preachers, singers, leaders.

1 Cor. 12:4-6 / Romans 12

He did assign some foundational leaders and some ongoing shepherd-teachers to help coach and teach you to use your gifts.

Soccer match. Elders/pastors - we are player coaches. you are the players on the team. the world is watching.

Description here could be understood. He gave gifts to the church and in the context here, he is referring to the gifts specifically to people. He gave people to the church, to speak, preach, teach, and defend it.

It almost has a militant, actual defense from an enemy. He has given soldiers to the church.

Who are these soldiers or you might say, generals. Who?

Apostles. Prophets. Evangelists. Shepherds. Teachers.

These are all people, holding specific offices in the church, meant to dispense the Word of God and the gospel.

This is the chief and primary means the saints are equipped for battle.

This is the chief means the church is fed properly to grow and mature.

Apostles

sent ones.

Prophets -

foundational, speaking the word from God,

Evangelists.

More like Modern Missionaries.

Shepherds

Pastors. Poimen. watching over, counseling, and nurturing the church

Teachers

to equip the saints, the church.

Ephesians Commentary

so the meaning of the noun (derived from the verb; cf. BDAG, 526) seems to be “preparation,” as one arranges and prepares an army for battle. Here the saints are prepared for withstanding human cunning in false teaching

Ephesians Commentary

We actually should be surprised with the statement of v. 11. The Lord, ascending to his throne in triumphant glory, could be expected to dole out property or wealth to his people as reward for their loyal service in the wars (6:10–20), but instead he gives men. And these men are given to help equip the church militant for warding off attacks of deceitful, scheming teachers (v. 14; cf. esp. 2 Pet 2:1).

Ephesians Commentary

Christ’s people embody a wonderful irony: a diverse gifting brings about their unity (so 1 Cor 12:4–13, with many parallels to Eph 4).

The necessary outcome of their “task of ministry” is the maturity of others, not their own aggrandizement (cf. 1 Tim 6:3–6; Jas 3:1, 14; Jude 16–20).

S. M. Baugh, Ephesians, Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 341.Growing Together (13-16)

Growing up.

The contrast is between the “toddler” stage and “growing up.” S. M. Baugh, Ephesians

Infant. Toddler. Adult.

Hebrews 5:13 provides an illuminating parallel for v. 14a with its statement about νήπιοι (nēpioi) (“children,” “toddlers”) addicted to milk rather than to the solid food of Christian teaching that is for “mature” (τέλειοι, teleioi) adults (cf. ἄνδρα τέλειον, andra teleion; in v. 13 above and also in 1 Cor 3:1–2; cf. 1 Cor 14:20; 2 Cor 4:2; 11:3). Paul is teaching in v. 14 and context that Christians must become doctrinally “mature” in order not to become ensnared by the crafty schemes of deceiving false teachers. The special-office ministers of v. 11 labor to bring this about, ideally, in self-sacrificial service for the benefit of the church (see esp. Col 1:28–29).

Windswept. Ship battered and beat around by the storm.

Shipwrecked your faith…

S. M. Baugh, Ephesians, Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 341.

Growing in discernment.

Revelation 2:2 ““ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.”

Ephesian church was commended for putting false teachers and false apostles to the test.

Growing up in every way

Christ is the head.

We are the body.

Speak the truth in love

Instead of being deceived… speak the truth in love and preach the truth. Watch people grow up.

Positive influence on the growth of the church and the unity of the body comes from speaking the truth in love.