Unified Diversity

As we’ve moved through Ephesians, we have learned a lot about the church. Primarily that God making saints out of sinners in Christ and making us children of God. As children, we are his family. He is our Father. This new family is to function as a new society in the world. And we are to function as one.

This new society is called the church. And even though there are people with all types of different backgrounds, races, rich and poor, there should be a type of unity and love that is seen in the church that is not seen anywhere else. Because what should identify primarily is not earthly families or skin colors or bank accounts, but it’s our identity as children of God.

We hear this oneness language in the verses we used last week.

Ephesians 4:4–6 ESV

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Eph. 4:4-6

But Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes on to teach us about this oneness. What we learn is that oneness doesn’t mean sameness. Just because we were saved to be unified doesn’t mean that we were saved to be uniform.

Oneness doens’t mean sameness.

But God unified his church in this way. Look at v.7

Ephesians 4:7 ESV

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

So God brings us together as one family, but God then gives each of his children individually unique gifts. Think about how special that is. That whatever unique spiritual gifts that you have it was given to you personally by Christ.

*What this means is that you are unique. And that your unique in a way that Christ chose you to be. That is important to know because it is easy to envious of the gifts that someone else has.

I have always wanted to be able to sing really well. When I hear so many that are in our choir sing and then come out and sing awesome solos, I really enjoy it. But there is something inside of me way down deep that asks, “Why didn’t God make me with that ability?”

Have you ever wondered why you don’t have the gifts that someone else had? Here’s the answer. Because he didn’t want you to have those gifts. He wanted you to have your gifts.

Paul goes on to tell us that we should be very proud of who we are and the gifts that we have because Christ fought to make us who we are:

Christ gave gifts to the church:

I. Through Victory (vv.7-10)

Ephesians 4:8 ESV

8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Eph

“Therefore it says”- Paul quotes from to explain how Christ went about earning the gifts that he gives to us. He connects the giving of gifts to the victory of the gospel.

Let’s look at . The context of this Psalm is a call to come and vindicate his people like the victory God has led his people in in history.

Psalm 68:18 ESV

18 You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

Psalm

The Psalmist is alluding to the fact that after he led the people of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years and then entered the conquest of the land in Jericho and conquered every enemy that they met. Eventually leading to the ascent where the arch of the covenant was sat in the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem.

Notice that phrase “You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train.” ()

The train makes us think of a wedding dress and the train that follows the bride down the isle. In this picture it is a reference to the rob that the King would wear.

“leading a host of captives in your train.” This is like saying that God had moved and in his wake were enemy after enemy that he had overcome.

In , God is receiving gifts among men. God absolutely received gifts from his people in forms of sacrifices made and offerings brought to the temple to honor God.

But notice when Paul quotes it, he changes it a little:

Ephesians 4:8 ESV

8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Here God gives gifts to his people. No doubt as the people of Israel led by God conquered enemy after enemy, they recovered a lot of spoils of war. These spoils would have been distributed to the people as they followed God, fought the enemies, and served God.

What does any of this have to do with the church and gifts being given to us? Paul is using this imagery to describe what Christ did in victoriously overcoming the enemy in the gospel.

Paul is saying, Christ came into the world and he conquered all of his enemies. He faced off with demons, evil people, even hell itself as he died in the place of sinners. And Christ overcome it all! In his train, in the wake of the conquering Lord is noting but defeated foes.

Paul points at the cross here in v.9 by saying,

Ephesians 4:9 ESV

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?

He couldn’t have ascended unless he first actually died and place in the grave. But he really died, and he really was raised.

And when Christ was raised from the dead. And when he ascended to the right hand of the Father, he left behind gifts to his people.

+So don’t minimize your gift. No matter what it is. It was purchased by the blood of Christ and it was selected especially for you. Don’t minimize it. Use it!

II. With variety (v. 11)

What kind of gifts did he give? He gave gifts for the benefit of the church.

Ephesians 4:11 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

+Some of you are looking at that list and saying, “Well I don’t have any of those gifts.” This is not an exhaustive list. I’ll prove it to you. Did God give deacons to the church? I can show you a bunch of passages that says that he did. But they are not on the list.

So, your gift of singing or relating to people or even baking cooking or organizing fellowships may not be on the list. But it was given by God so that you could benefit his church. .

+You might be asking, “well I don’t know if what I can do is really considered a spiritual gift.” If it can used to benefit the body, it is. Let me show you an important passage that deals with this:

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 ESV

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

If the Holy Spirit empowers you with abilities that you use for the common good of the church, then that thing is a spiritual gift.

And notice something about these gifts. These gifts are people. God’s gifts to the church are people. People are given to the church with certain abilities, empowerments from the Holy Spirit to benefit the church.

So if you have the ability to welcome others in a warm and inviting way and you serve on the ushers to benefit the church, it’s a spiritual gift. If you can bake cookies so that we can hand them to people as we do visitation or so that the kids can bring them when they visit the nursing home, that ‘s a spiritual gift.

Our abilities are never given to us simply to better our own personal lives. Some of those gifts have the ability to make a great school teacher or an excellent business man. Understand that these gifts are to be used not simply to benefit your lie, but primarily to benefit that church.

Now I want you to notice something else about v.11.

Ephesians 4:11 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

These gifts are people. God’s gifts to the church are people. People are given to the church with certain abilities, empowerments from the Holy Spirit to benefit the church. God saved you. God placed you in church. You are God’s gift to the church to benefit others.

And we all have different gifts and everyone must be used for us to function as we were designed.

*Think about it like a car. Don’t complain that you are not a steering wheel. You might be the passenger seat. The car needs both. And by the way, the steering wheel would make a terrible passenger seat.

1 Corinthians 12:17 ESV

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?

:17

For the car to function right it needs thousands of different parts: wheels, hub caps, pistons, radiators, gas tank, a trunk. They are all different. But when every different part is playing it’s part, they all function as one. If spark plugs stop firing, the car stops going, not matter how good of a job the wheels are doing.

That’s like the church, we are designed perfectly, exactly as God intended. When we all function as we are designed, we work as one. If not, if people decide that they are not important or too busy, we become a cluncker. Let’s not be a clunker. Let’s be the well oiled machined God designed us to be.

III. To Accomplish His Vision (vv. 12-16)

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

God’s vision for the church is for the church to grow up in Christ.

The first part of God’s vision is for the body of

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Ephesians 4:12 ESV

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Eph. 4:Leaders have an important part to play in that, but not the only part to play in the ministry of the church.

Leaders have an important part to play in that, but not the only part to play in the ministry of the church.

Leaders have an important part to play in that, but not the only part to play in the ministry of the church.

Notice that it says that God gave the leaders in the church to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

God has given the pastors, the elders, the teachers, and evangelists an equipping role, not the entire role. It doesn’t say that the leadership is suppose to do all of the work. It says that the leadership is suppose to equip the saints so that we all get the work accomplished.

The work of the church is too great to rely on the leadership alone to do it. And God doesn’t expect the leadership to do it. He expects the saints to do it.

That’s an important word because we live in a world that says, “We pay you to do the work, now do the work and we’ll supervise the job and offer proper critique.”

Critique is for judment day and only God get’s to do that. Now is for work and it takes us all.

So, let me ask you. What is your ministry. How you working to grow God’s church. Where are you serving? It might be a very visible way or a completely invisible way. There are no small roles in the body.

If you have ever stumped your pinky toe, you know that. If you are involved, amen. If you are not involved get involved. The church needs you. You are God’s gift to us.

The second part of his vision for us to grow up into maturity in Christ.

1.Until we find unity in Christ.

Ephesians 4:13 ESV

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

2. Until we find stability in Christ

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

3. Until we display in every way the love of Christ.

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Our first and foremost emphasis should not be the size of our church. However, if we are doing our job and loving people like Jesus that should steal from Satan’s Kingdom and grow God’s Kingdom.

But our first concern is not the size of our church, but the display of Christ within the church.

Lane sent out this quote the week to the men’s group. If you are not in that you should be. But, this quote by A.W. Tozer captured the heart of what Paul is saying.

“Modern religion focuses upon filling churches with people. The true gospel emphasizes filling people with God.” -AW Tozer.

We will be filled with God when we together accomplish was God has uniquely designed each of us to do. When we do that we will overflow with God and fill the world around us.

Ephesians 4:12 ESV

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Eph. 4.

This is how I write a message .

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.