Gifted & Called: Using Your Talents for God’s Glory

Introducction

Ephesians 4:1–16 NASB95

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Chapter 1: Chosen in Christ – Paul begins with a breathtaking view of God’s purpose before the foundation of the world. He reveals that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (1:3), chosen (1:4), adopted (1:5), redeemed (1:7), and sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13). Paul then prays that believers may grasp the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us in Christ.

Chapter 2: From Death to Life – Here, Paul shifts to the incredible transformation of the believer. We were dead in sins (2:1), following the course of this world, enslaved to the prince of the power of the air. But God, rich in mercy, has made us alive together with Christ (2:4-5). Salvation is by grace through faith (2:8), not by works. Paul also emphasizes that Christ has broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, making one new man (2:15), reconciling all to God.

Chapter 3: The Mystery Revealed – Paul declares that God has now fully revealed His mystery—the Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel in Christ (3:6). He prays that believers be strengthened with power in the inner man and rooted in the love of Christ, a love so vast that it surpasses knowledge (3:18-19).

It strikes me that Paul prays twice for the Ephesians so that they can really understand what his words mean. (1:15-22; 3:14-19). Paul prays that their eyes will be opened, and they will be able to understand their new identity in Christ.

The only way to live as God wants is if we know who we are in Christ. It is a mistake to try to live in holiness without God. It is impossible to serve God without knowing God. That is why Paul prays for them. Paul wants them to understand what they were called to be.

You Are Called for a Purpose

God has revealed to Paul His desire for the Church. God has called us to live according to His purpose. That call is to be holy, faithful and blameless. Hallelujah. A life totally transformed. That holiness and fidelity must be demonstrated in the community. It's not that I'm holy to myself or in my own way.

 It's very easy to be a saint by myself. If I go to a mountain and no one challenges me, no one thinks differently than me, I just live for myself. In God's mind, the way we live out our calling is in community and in good relationship with one another. Jesus said it:

John 13:34–35 NASB95

34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

That is why Paul under inspiration explains the same thing. Now that we are renewed and saved by Christ we must live in a different community.

Return with me to verse 2

Ephesians 4:2 NASB95

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

All these things, in order to be real must be in a community. One of Satan's greatest attacks on humanity is modern individualism.

I'm just going to give you a statistic.

A In 2018, only 16% of Americans reported that they felt very attached to their local community. (Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community).

This is a very sad thing. However, I don't know if it's worse to know that many of our relationships are toxic, even among the people we love the most. Waoo... It seems that the most difficult thing for human beings is to maintain good relationships. That's why the greatest manifestation of the gospel is how we relate to each other.

What a great challenge for all of us: Live in all humility and gentleness. Be patient, and yes, many times we have to learn how to tolerate each other. It will not be easy. There are difficult and toxic people sometimes, maybe it's me, but this is what the gospel is all about. We must love even those difficult ones. That love that Paul showed them in the previous chapters. The love Paul prayed for in 3:17-18.

Ephesians 3:17–18 NASB95

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

Ahh verse three is even more challenging.

Ephesians 4:3 NASB95

3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Paul tells us that the Spirit brings unity. But that unity will not be easy, you and I must strive to maintain it.

Endeavoring (NKJV) spoudázō means “to make haste” in 2 Tim. 4:9, 21; Tit. 3:12. It then denotes zealous effort in Gal. 2:10 or 1 Th. 2:17. In Eph. 4:3 Christians must exert themselves to maintain the unity that Christ has achieved for them[1]

Let me tell you this: Unity, peace, and love among human beings cost a heavy price. Christ shed His blood so that we could experience peace. You and I are called to strive, fight to maintain healthy relationships that glorify God. God is longing for a people who live in unity. There can be no jealousy, criticism, hatred, resentment. God is very serious about this.

Just look at the perfect unity Paul has in mind.

A body

A spirit

A hope

A gentleman

A faith

A baptism

A God

You've seen how many there are... Yes, it's seven, because seven is the number of perfection in the Bible. The seven reflects God's work, so we rest and keep the Sabbath, the seventh day. And that's why we're called to preserve and be the most united, loving church of all. Hallelujah...

God called you for a purpose, the purpose is to strive for unity, love among human beings. God has called you to live in humility, love, and peace.

We could stay here the whole sermon, but we have to go a little further.

You Are Gifted for Growth

Return with me to verses 7-8

Ephesians 4:7–8 NASB95

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.”

 This is another of the glorious results of Christ's victory on the Cross. Everyone of us, yes, all of us have received gifts. By grace, God has given each of you a unique and special gift. Praise be to his name. Yes, God has given you something special to grow up with.

One of the deceptions of the enemy is to make us believe that I am not good at all. This happens because You often compare yourself with other people. I can think I will never be a good preacher like him, I will never be able to teach like her. They have gifts and talents, I don't. By believing this we are calling God a liar. The text is clear, Paul states: Each one of us has received a gift by his grace... Can you believe it?

God has given you a special gift with which you will contribute to maintain the unity of the church. You are called and you are gifted. God has planned it, and we only receive that gift of grace by faith.

What are those gifts? Does unity mean that we are all identical?

Imagine that in an orchestra all the instruments play the same melody... will be a failure. Without harmony there would be no beauty.

Imagine that in your kitchen everything you use is made of glass. The glass is nice, but you need metal utensils, plastic, etc.

Imagine that in the soccer, soccer or basketball team everyone wants to score, and no one wants to play defense.

God calls us to unity, but not to uniformity. We are all different and God has given us all different capabilities.

Come with me to verse 11

Ephesians 4:11 NASB95

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

This list is one of the shortest Paul offers. There are other lists of gifts in other letters. Here Paul names the gifts of those who serve to train the church as pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc. This is the complete list of gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:8–10

―To one is given through the Spirit …

Utterance of wisdom

Utterance of knowledge

Faith

Gifts of healing

Working of miracles

Prophecy

Ability to distinguish spirits

Various kinds of tongues

Interpretation of tongues

Romans 12:6–8

―Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us …

Prophecy

Service

Teaching

Exhorting

Contributing

Giving aid

Acts of mercy

1 Corinthians 12:28–30

―And God has appointed in the church …

Apostles

Prophets

Teachers

Workers of miracles

Healers

Helpers

Administrators

Speakers in tongues

Interpretation of tongues

Ephesians 4:11

―And his gifts were that some should be …

Apostles

Prophets

Evangelists

Pastors

Teachers

Purpose of the gifts of the spirit

Play basketball tournaments in college was special to me. I enjoyed it very much. But there was something that was both good and bad. The good thing was that I played very well, I was good, I could score, run, I could defend. The bad thing about that is that I knew it. At the end of the game I scored over 30 points, I won the scoring title leader of the entire tournament, but we never won the championship. Maybe there were other factors, but a very big one was that I hadn't understood the purpose of my talent. Instead of elevating my teammates, I just wanted to shine.

The gifts and talents God gives us are for three basic things:

To the glory of his name.

For the edification of the Church.

To bring us to spiritual maturity.

If you pay attention, Paul says:

Ephesians 4:13 NASB95

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

 Paul has in mind the unity and growth of the Church and our growth in Jesus.

 I like how Pablo ends

Ephesians 4:14–16 NKJV

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

You see... All of this happens in love and unity. We are a body so that there is no possible way to function if we are not united. Ahh Paul makes sure to remind us that the head of all this is Christ. Hallelujah. To Him alone is glory.

Ahh it is necessary for each member of this body to put his gift to work. Look at this last line.

Ephesians 4:14–16 NASB95

according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

It's very clear... I just want to tell you this. It won't be very nice, but I must tell you. Forgive me.

You are part of this community that is the church. God gave you a gift to work for the church. You are called and gifted to work for God’s glory. When you decide not to use your gift, when you look around and say I'm not going to work because I don't like who's in front, because I don't like how the pastor preaches, I'm not going to serve because I, I, I... You are attacking the unity that Christ bought with his blood on the cross. You are attacking the growth of the very body of Christ.

Yes, this is not to mention that you stop growing and maturing in faith. You also stop glorifying God. You begin to criticize, to judge because you have nothing to do.

Sometimes we may think that not serve in the church it is a lightly thing. However, we become stumbling blocks.

Conclusion and Appeal

Beloved family, God called you for a holy purpose. You are called to live in holiness and strive to maintain the unity of the church at all costs. It is the Holy Spirit who brings unity. We are called to live in healthy relationships in church, homes, jobs, and beyond.

God has already given you what you need to accomplish that purpose. You are gifted, blessed, equipped. You already have it. If you use it well, you will mature in faith to the stature of Christ, you will do your part in the growth of the Church and most beautifully... The name of Jehovah will be glorified through you.

Today my calling is to serve God in some ministry. We are in the process of nominate. I want to give you a few minutes to choose where you would like to serve. If you're not sure about your gift, I invite you to the discipleship class, let's find out together. However, write down your desire to serve if you can't find a specific ministry, I'm sure we'll find a place for you.

[1] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 1069.