The Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:12-16. "The Body of Christ" Safe Haven Worship Centre. Sunday July 26, 2020. Ephesians 4:12-16 [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up 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 mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [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. [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. (ESV). A free-lance missionary visited a pastor asking for financial support. "What group are you associated with?" the pastor asked. The man replied, "I belong to the invisible church." The pastor then asked, "Well, what church are you a member of!" Again, he got the answer, "I belong to the invisible church!" Getting a bit suspicious, the pastor asked, "When does this invisible church meet? Who pastors it?" The missionary then became incensed and said, "Well, your church here isn't the true church. I belong to the invisible church!" The pastor replied, "Well, here's some invisible money to help you minister to the invisible church!". (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 38). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.) Western culture puts its emphasis on personal autonomy, as does much of western Christianity with its almost exclusive emphasis on a personal relationship with Christ. As important as is a personal relationship with Jesus, biblical Christianity never teaches that faith is just about Jesus and me. We are part of the body of Christ. We are His presence now on earth as His Spirit lives within us and among us (Eph. 2:22). I am the expression of Christ's love to others, and they to me (Chapell, B. (2009). Ephesians. (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (pp. 198-199). Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.). As we have seen, God's spiritual gifts to His church include both the individual gifting of every believer as well as the gifted men called apostles and prophets, who were given strictly for New Testament times and were followed by the gifted men called evangelists and pastor-teachers, who are given for continuing ministry to the church (Eph. 4:11). It is God's plan for the last two groups of gifted men-the evangelists and pastor-teachers-to equip, build up, and develop His church by the general operational procedure set forth in verses 12-16. In this passage we are shown the 1) Progression (Ephesians 4:12), the 2) Purpose (Ephesians 4:13-15), and the 3) Power (Ephesians 4:16) of God's divine pattern for the building and function of His church. First, God's Divine Pattern for the building & function of His Church involves: 1) The Progression of God's Pattern (Ephesians 4:12) Ephesians 4:12 [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (ESV) Three phrases are now used in this verse to describe the purpose of the spiritual gifts just named. The first task within God's design is for the evangelists and pastor-teachers to be properly equipping the saints (a title used for all those set apart to God by salvation; (cf 1 Cor. 1:2). The evangelist's work is to bring men and women to understanding of the gospel of salvation, to lead them to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and thereby become children in His spiritual family and citizens of His divine kingdom. In the early years the objective was to establish a local church. This begins the equipping. The pastor-teacher's subsequent work, then, is to provide the leadership and spiritual resources to cause believers to be taking on the likeness of their Lord and Savior through continual obedience to His Word and to provide a pattern, or example, of godliness (1 Thess. 1:2-7; 1 Pet. 5:3). (Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 126). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.) To equip the saints (Katartismos) basically refers to that which is fit, is restored to its original condition, or is made complete. The word was often used as a medical term for the setting of bones. The noun "equipping" (καταρτισμός, katartismos) occurs only here in the N.T. The verb from which it is derived, however, occurs thirteen times. A survey of these uses will show quite clearly what the leaders are to do for "the saints":1. To teach (Luke 6:40) 2. To equip with everything good (Heb 13:21) 3. To supply what is lacking (1 Thess 3:10) 4. To prepare for use (Heb 10:5) 5. To form, mold, and shape (Heb 11:3) 6. To mend and repair (Matt 4:21) 7. To correct faults (2 Cor 13:11) 8. To restore a fallen brother (Gal 6:1) and 9. To bring into functioning harmony (1 Cor 1:10). God has given four basic tools, as it were, to spiritual equip the saints. These are spiritual means, because the flesh cannot make anyone perfect (Gal. 3:3). The first and most important is His Word, the Bible. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Jesus said, "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you" (John 15:3). The first purpose of the pastor-teacher, therefore, is to feed himself, to feed his people, and to lead them to feed themselves on the Word of God. The example of the apostles, who gave themselves continually to teaching the Word and to prayer (Acts 6:4) indicates that a second tool to equip is prayer, and the pastor-teacher is responsible to prepare himself and to lead his people to prepare themselves in prayer. Paul characterized the ministry of Epaphras by saying that he is "always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a deep concern for you" (Col. 4:12-13). (Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 4:12). Joplin, MO: College Press.) Please turn to James 1 A third tool to equip is trials/testing of your faith. Teaching people to expect and how to deal with challenges in their life equips them to deal with those challenges. Testing is a purging experience by which the believer is refined to greater holiness. James tells us to: James 1:2-4 [2] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV) * When we respond to God's testing in trust and continued obedience, spiritual muscles are strengthened and effective service for Him is broadened. The second aspect of God's plan for the operation of His church is ministry/service. When the gifted men are faithful in prayer and in teaching the Word, the people will be properly equipped and rightly motivated to do the work of ministry/service. Spiritual ministry/service is the work of every Christian, every saint of God. Fulfilling this command solo would be impossible..... No one should be a bystander, an observer. Everyone must do the work of ministry. Some of us can do one task; some can do another. Together we can obey God more fully than any of us could alone. We tend to overestimate what we can do by ourselves and underestimate what we can do as a group. But as the body of Christ, we can accomplish more together than we could dream possible working by ourselves (Barton, B. B., & Comfort, P. W. (1996). Ephesians (pp. 83-84). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.). The third element and the immediate goal of God's plan for the operation of His church is its being built up. Proper equipping by the evangelist and pastor-teachers leads to proper ministry/service by the congregation resulting inevitably in the building up the body of Christ. Oikodomē (building up) literally refers to the building of a house and was used figuratively of any sort of construction. It is the spiritual edification and development of the church of which Paul is speaking here. The preposition for denotes the ultimate purpose. Ministering and building are means to this end (Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 390). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.). Illustration: During the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 an American reporter was flying over the Sinai desert with an Israeli officer, and they spotted some fifty thousand stranded Egyptian soldiers who obviously were dying of thirst. When the situation was reported in the newspapers, a number of world leaders and organizations tried to do something to help. But every time a plan was suggested, some military, diplomatic, or bureaucratic obstacle prevented its being carried out. By the time help came, thousands of the soldiers had died. How equally tragic it is for churches to spin their wheels in programs and committees while thousands around them are desperately in need of the spiritual water of the Word. Second, God's Divine Pattern for the building & function of His Church involves: 2) The Purpose of God's Pattern (Ephesians 4:13-15) Ephesians 4:13-15 [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, [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. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (ESV) The ultimate spiritual target for the church begins with is the unity of the faith (cf v 3). As in verse 5, faith does not here refer to the act of belief or of obedience but to the body of Christian truth, to Christian doctrine. The faith is the content of the gospel in its most complete form. It is the body of truth to be defended against false teachers (cf. Jude 1:3). As the church at Corinth so clearly illustrates, disunity in the church comes from doctrinal ignorance and spiritual immaturity. When believers are properly taught, when they faithfully do the work of service, and when the body is thereby built up in spiritual maturity, unity of the faith is an inevitable result. This unity is not dumbed down complacency, but as has been described earlier in verse three that we must be Ephesians 4:3... [3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (ESV) Unity of the faith is created by God, because faith itself is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). We cannot create unity. God creates unity through His truth. Our job is to not disrupt what God has created. God's truth is not fragmented and divided against itself, and when His people are fragmented and divided it simply means they are to that degree apart from His truth, apart from the faith of right knowledge and understanding. Only a biblically equipped, faithfully serving, and spiritually maturing church can attain to the unity the faith. Any other "unity" will be on a purely human level and not only will be apart from but in constant conflict with the unity of the faith. There can never be unity in the church apart from doctrinal integrity. This oneness thus partakes of the tension between the 'already' and the 'not yet': it has been proclaimed as a given fact, but is now presented as the goal of Christian endeavor, a goal which can only be reached by all collectively, and will finally occur at Christ's coming, when he brings his people to complete maturity (O'Brien, P. T. (1999). The letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament commentary (306). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.). "Knowledge of the Son of God" refers to experiential knowledge of Jesus attained through day-by-day discipleship; it is what Paul refers to in Philippians 3 where he writes of his desire: Philippians 3:10 [10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (ESV) * Paul means knowledge that goes beyond what can be packed into the head, knowledge that also trickles down into the heart and flows out into the life in obedient and loving service to the Lord (Boice, J. M. (1988). Ephesians : An expositional commentary (148). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Ministry Resources Library.). There is a knowledge that is directly related to faith. When faith reads the Scriptures it finds treasure after treasure of knowledge which unbelief never finds; when faith is exercised by confession and life it discovers by its own experience more and more knowledge of the saving truth which unbelief cannot know. (Both true knowledge and faith have one object: the Son of God) (Lenski, R. C. H. (1937). The interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians and to the Philippians (534). Columbus, O.: Lutheran Book Concern.). God's great desire for His church is that every believer, without exception, come to be like His Son (Rom. 8:29), manifesting the character qualities of the One who is the only measure. Paul's word for "mature" (τέλειος, teleios) means "full grown" (Phil 3:15) (Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians. The College Press NIV commentary (Eph 4:13). Joplin, Mo.: College Press.) Please turn to Colossians 1 It is obvious that believers, all of whom have unredeemed flesh (Rom. 7:14; 8:23), cannot in this life fully and perfectly attain the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. But they must and can reach a degree of maturity that pleases and glorifies the Lord. The goal of Paul's ministry to believers was their maturity, as indicated by his labors to Colossians 1:27-29 [27] To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28] Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29] For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (ESV) (cf. Phil. 3:14-15). * This is not an individual endeavor. Individually, people tend to strive for a "personal spirituality" that puts the focus on personal fulfillment. The problem is that we tend to be overly generous with ourselves and downplay reoccurring weaknesses. Paul addresses the God given objective as a corporate endeavor. We are to encourage one another to maturity in all areas of Christian life: intellectual, emotional, physical and relational. Even the standard of the objective is external: "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ". Children referenced in verse 14, are delightful little creatures to have around, but they do have their limitations. Two are instability and naïveté. Children are notoriously fickle. They will be interested in one thing for five minutes; and five minutes later they move on to something else entirely. Again, children may be easily fooled. It is easy to deceive them. That is why parents have a special responsibility for the sound education and careful guidance of children; it is part of what it means to be a child. However, it is an unfortunate thing when those same characteristics hang on into adult life, weakening a person's character and limiting his or her usefulness (Boice, J. M. (1988). Ephesians : An expositional commentary (149-150). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Ministry Resources Library.). This word (νήπιος, nēpios) can mean merely young children in a neutral sense (Gal 4:1-3), but often the term carries with it the value judgment of "infantile and stupid" (1 Cor 3:1-2; 13:11; Heb 5:13). It was necessary, no doubt, for all believers to begin as babies in their faith, but they are to stay at this level "no longer." God wants his people childlike, but not childish (Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians. The College Press NIV commentary (Eph 4:14). Joplin, Mo.: College Press.). The contrast between 'the mature person' of v.13 and the 'children' here is pointed. Not only do the latter's ignorance and instability stand over against the knowledge of the mature adult (cf. 1 Cor. 2:6; 3:1; Heb. 5:13, 14), but also the use of the plural 'children' (with its implications of individualism) stands in contrast to the one 'mature person' who is a corporate unity (O'Brien, P. T. (1999). The letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament commentary (308). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.). * People often get misled in a quest for a private individual spirituality. In this individualism quest they are either not familiar or intentionally disregard the historic orthodoxy of belief. As a result, they are easy prey for either cults or wade into dangerous error that can seriously damage a proper relationship with God and his people. (Spiritual children ) 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 to and fro/here and there by waves of popular sentiment and are carried about by every wind of new doctrine that seems appealing. It may seem like the author is mixing metaphors with children and sea navigation, but anyone who has used a car carrier would recognize the link. The infant would be strapped in the carrier and then taken place to place just like a storm would carry a small craft on the water from place to place. Spiritual children, because they are not anchored in God's truth, they are subject to every sort of counterfeit truth-humanistic, cultic, pagan, demonic, or whatever.) The immature Christian is gullible; and in the history of the church no group of believers has fallen into more foolishness in the name of Christianity than has much of the church today. Despite our unprecedented education, sophistication, freedom, and access to God's Word and sound Christian teaching, it seems that every religious huckster (cf. 2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2; 11:13-15) can find a ready hearing and financial support from among God's people. The number of foolish, misdirected, corrupt, and even heretical leaders to whom many church members willingly give their money and allegiance is astounding and heartbreaking. Immaturity on the part of believers cannot be treated as a neutral state which will be outgrown in due course. It is a highly dangerous condition because it lays them open to manipulation by cunning people and the forces of error. But it is for precisely such a situation that pastors and teachers have been provided-to prevent believers in their immaturity from falling prey to false teaching and to lead them from the instability which ends in error to the stability of the truth (Lincoln, A. T. (2002). Vol. 42: Word Biblical Commentary : Ephesians. Word Biblical Commentary (259). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.). The cause of this spiritual plight is not hard to find. Presenting an easy-believism or almost contentless message, in many places the Body of Christ has not been built up in sound doctrine or in faithful obedience. Consequently, there is little doctrinal solidarity ("unity of faith") and little spiritual maturity ("knowledge of the Son of God ... to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ"). The false teacher presents their message through cunning/trickery (Kubia) which is the term from which we get cube, and was used of dice-playing. Just as today, the dice were often "loaded" or otherwise manipulated by professional gamblers to their own advantage. The term for dice therefore became synonymous with dishonest cunning/trickery of any sort. What are those loaded dice? They are the way dishonest people use words. A common practice of cults and people trying to deceive is to change the meaning of words: * Use a term that represents happiness, "gay", for what saddens God, thereby trying to associate previous positive feelings for this action clearly counter to God's word. * Or use a term like "faith" which only properly has a rational meaning tied to one alone who can be trusted, God, and apply it to subjective experiences and feelings, thereby devoid it of any meaning. False teachers also have a craftiness (panourgia; see Luke 20:23; 1 Cor. 3:19; 2 Cor. 12:16) carrying the idea of clever manipulation of error made to look like truth. Methodia (schemes) is used later in the letter to refer to "the schemes of the devil" (6:11). No doubt it has reference to planned, subtle, systematized error. Paul's point is that neither human cunning/the trickery of men nor the deceitful schemes of the devil will mislead the spiritually equipped and mature believer. Error is never overcome by mere negation. Over against the deceitfulness of the errorists (Believers) should adhere to the truth, that is, practice integrity. (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Exposition of Ephesians (Vol. 7, p. 202). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.). Paul now focuses positively on the ultimate goal in verse 15 towards which he and his readers are moving, he desires that together they may grow up into Christ, who is the head (O'Brien, P. T. (1999). The letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament commentary (310). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) To speak the truth in love is a mark of maturity, which will enable us to grow up spiritually. Immature people often fall into one of two opposite errors. They speak the truth, but without love, or they love without speaking the truth. When we speak the truth, but without love we often brutalize others, pounding them with truth but doing it in an unloving way. When we love without speaking the truth, we don't tell others the truth, thinking that by shielding them from the truth we are sparing them from pain. We are not, however. All we are doing is delaying their maturation. The verb translated speaking the truth is alētheuō, which means to speak, deal, or act truthfully. Some have translated it "truthing it," while others say it conveys the idea of walking in a truthful way. The verb refers to being true in the widest sense and is hard to translate into English. Yet in Galatians 4:16 it seems to especially emphasize preaching the gospel truth. Since the reference in Galatians is the only other use of the verb in the New Testament, it seems safe to say that the emphasis in Ephesians 4 is also on the preaching of the truth (within the context of a truthful and authentic Christian life). Authentic, mature believers whose lives are marked by love will not be victims of false teaching (v.14) but will be living authentically and proclaiming the true gospel to a deceived and deceiving world. (Anders, M. (1999). Vol. 8: Galatians-Colossians. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (152-153). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman). While the imagery so far could almost suggest that the church grows towards an independent manhood like Christ's, the switch of imagery at the end of v 15 (that " we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ") reminds the reader that Christ Jesus is Lord (head) of the whole process, and "we" the church are intended to grow into more intimate union with him. Growing up into Christ is like baptizing into the Name of the Father, etc.; it implies that the growth tends to a closer union to Christ, as, on the other hand, union to Christ causes the growth: the two act and react on each other. This loving, authentic testimony assists believers in growing into the very likeness of Jesus Christ. The phrase "in every way/all aspects/things" calls for a comprehensive Christlikeness such as that described in verse 13 (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1; 2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 4:19; Eph. 5:2; 1 Pet. 2:21; 1 John 2:6). This growth is to be...in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, in all the communicable properties of Christ (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Ephesians (p. 150). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.). The head ... Christ expresses a familiar Pauline analogy indicating Christ's authority (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18), leadership (Eph. 5:23), and here, as in Colossians 2:19, controlling power. He not only is the sovereign Head and the ruling Head but also the organic Head. He is the source of power for all functions. Human beings are declared officially dead when the EKG is flat, signifying brain death. As the brain is the control center of physical life, so the Lord Jesus Christ is the organic source of life and power to His Body, the church. He is the "Hope that Stands in the Storm". Paul closes the paragraph with a revised form of Col. 2:19, which attempts to sum up everything said so far. Colossians 2:19 [19]... holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. (ESV) * The whole body's growth ultimately comes from Christ, but the body grows as each part does its apportioned building work in love (reaffirming v 7, and clarifying that it is not just leaders who build the church). All along, that upbuilding and growth is held in unity and cohesion by every supporting ligament (Carson, D. A. (1994). New Bible commentary : 21st century edition (4th ed.) (Eph 4:7-16). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press.). Quote: Horatius Bonar expressed this growth in Christ like this: "So shall no part of day or night from sacredness be free, But all my life, in every step, be fellowship with thee." (As quoted in Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 7: New Testament commentary : Exposition of Ephesians. New Testament Commentary (203). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House). Finally, God's Divine Pattern for the building & function of His Church involves: 3) The Power for God's Pattern (Ephesians 4:16) Ephesians 4:16 [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. (ESV) The power for being equipped and matured into lovingly authentic proclaimers is not in believers themselves, in their leaders, or in church structure. The Body receives its authority, direction, and power as it grows "up in all aspects into ... Christ," from whom the whole body [is] joined/fitted and held together. The two present passive participles that these phrases translate are synonymous and are meant to express that the close, tight, compacted correlation of function in the Body as an organism is the result of Christ's power. That does not negate the efforts of believers, as proved by the phrases by every joint with which it is equipped/supplies, when each part is working properly. Describing the function together like a physical body, in the case of a joint in the body there is a kind of cup on one bone and into that cup there fits a kind of ball at the end of another bone. The surfaces of both are smooth so that there is no friction, and everything works easily and harmoniously and in an effective manner ... This should be true of the members of the Church.'(Phillips, R. D. (2016). Ephesians (p. 348). Ross-shire, Scotland: Mentor.) Christ holds the Body together and makes it function by every joint with which it is equipped/supplies. That is to say, the joints are points of contrast, the joining together or union where the spiritual supply, resources, and gifts of the Holy Spirit pass from one member to another, providing the flow of ministry that produces growth. The present participles denote present, continuous progress (Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 392). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.) The situation where each part is working properly recalls the importance of each believer's gift (v 7; cf 1 Cor. 12:12-27). The growth of the church is not a result of clever methods but of every part/member of the Body fully using their spiritual gift in close contact with other believers. Christ is the source of the life and power and growth of the church, which He facilitates through each believer's gifts and mutual ministry in joints touching other believers. The power in the church flows from the Lord through individual believers and relationships between believers. Each of the parts of the body is needed to hold the whole body together in unity. The body is truly a maturing, loving body only as each part is encouraged to grow and do its part of the work (Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 153). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.). Please turn to Colossians 2 Where His people have close relationships of genuine spiritual ministry, God works; and where they are not properly ministering to each other and faithful with their gifts, God does not work in them. He does not look for creativity, ingenuity, or cleverness but for willing and loving obedience. The physical body functions properly only as each member in union with every other member responds to the direction of the head to do exactly what it was designed to do. In Colossians 2 Paul gives a priceless insight of this when he warns: Colossians 2:16-19 [16] Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. [17] These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. [18]Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, [19]and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God (ESV) * "The two functions performed by the joints and ligaments, are first, the supply of nutriment, and second, the compacting of the frame (knit/held together). In other words, they are the communication of life and energy, and the preservation of unity and order. The source of all is Christ Himself, the Head; but the channels of communication are the different members of His body, in their relation one to another.... the end is growth."( Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Col 2:18). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.) * Spiritual growth comes from union with Christ, as Jesus described abiding in Him in John 15:4-5. The false teachers had become detached from Christ. Just as a limb that is detached from the body loses life, so these false teachers, detached from the body of Christ and no longer under his headship, had lost the most vital connection. By losing connection with Christ, the natural result was that these teachers would fall into error and find themselves separated from the church. (Barton, B. B., & Comfort, P. W. (1995). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (pp. 198-199). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.) * There is a tendency in human nature to move from objectivity to subjectivity-to shift the focus from Christ to experience. Today's false standard of so called higher spirituality is defined by experiences called "the Anointing", "Second Blessing", "the Deeper Life" or a preconceived subjective so called "Conversion Experience". The sum of all that these truths affirm is that every individual believer is to stay close to Jesus Christ, faithfully using their spiritual gift in close contact with every believer, and that through such commitment and ministry the Lord's power will flow for the building up of the Body in love. That the body should grow (auxēsis, used only here and in Col. 2:19) is present middle in form, indicating that the body produces its own growth through resident dynamics. As with all living organisms, spiritual growth in the church does not come from forces outside but from the vital power within that causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself. All of this is in love, which is always to be the spirit of the fellowship of believers. Above all things, the Body is to manifest love, and when it is built up according to this plan, the world will know it is the Body of Christ (John 13:34-35). Love determines that each member will seek the upbuilding of all. Then without doubt, if there is a caring community living in love and showing the truth in love, the numerical increase will follow. (Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 131). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.). Thus Ephesians 4:12-16 ends much as it began, with Christ as the one who gives to each one of us. His grace enables all of us to engage in the ministry of building up his body, the church. The church will only grow as it should when each member contributes...to grow in unity, maturity, and stature. We do so mainly by speaking the truth in love. When we grow as the body together, we will also grow as (individual) members. Christ is both the source and the goal of our corporate and individual growth. (Roberts, M. D. (2016). Ephesians. (S. McKnight, Ed.) (p. 139). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.) (Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (pp. 151-165). Chicago: Moody Press.) 9