Measure of the Stature

Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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, 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. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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.

I just don’t measure up

When I was young, I thought I might be a NFL star. I wanted to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I wanted Mark Malone to throw me the pass that won the game. It did not take long to realize that I did not measure up to that aspiration. I'm too short, too slow and just not good enough. Imagine how daunting it is then to try and attain the "Measure of the Stature" of Christ! How will I ever make it? Even in ministry, the realization that I cannot quite measure up to human expectation can be daunting.

Maybe that dream needs to die as well. Not so fast, unlike the NFL, the talent needed does not come from myself. It comes from God. Therefore, let us be bold in our knowing that we will attain because God has ordained it to be so and He will carry us through.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Thank the Lord that He will complete it.

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Ephesians 2:4–10 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

God forgives/saves us not because He just really, really wants too, He does so because His wrath has been assuaged by the sacrifice of Christ. Christ paid the price.

Isaiah 53:6 ESV

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 6:5 ESV

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

False Ministry Patterns - bad comma

Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary A Superfluous Comma

In older versions of the English Bible there was a small but serious error that may have contributed to the church’s blindness at this point or, to state the matter another way, may have resulted from its prejudice. It involves a comma. In the original King James Version (there has been a change in more recent editions), Ephesians 4:11–12 said, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, [that is the comma] for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

In this version of the text God is said to have given the teaching gifts, which we normally associate with ministers, so that the ministers may do three things: (1) perfect the saints, (2) do the ministry, and (3) edify or build up the body of Christ. That is, the professionals do it all. They have the gifts, and they are to use them to do all the church’s work. The members of the church have no other duty than (to quote the 1906 Papal Encyclical Vehmenter Nos) “[of] letting themselves be led, and of following their pastors as a docile flock.”

The Pastor is meant to

1 - Perfect the saints

2 - Do the ministry

3 - Edify/Build up the Body of Christ

In this model, the work of ministry is to be done by those paid to do it.

This is a false model.

Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary A Superfluous Comma

This translation (the correct one) gives an immediate purpose to God’s giving of the teaching gifts: to equip the saints. It gives an ultimate purpose to God’s giving of these gifts: to build up the church. But it preserves the essential intermediate step which is an “every-member ministry.” It follows that where this intermediate step is not taken, where the clergy try to do the whole work, there the church stagnates and divisions occur.

There is a difference between a pastor and the laity but that difference is in calling and gifting not in ministry versus non-ministry

Here is the right model.

1 - Those gifted/called to be Pastor/Shepherd use their gifting to “equip the saints” for the primary objective of

2 - Helping Believers to do the work of “Ministry” or “Service”, and that has the primary objective of

3 - Building the body up to “reach unity in faith”, “maturing” and attaining the “measure of the Stature” of our savior Jesus Christ.

So what? What exactly does this mean to me?

It means I am here to help you be more equipped to do the work of the ministry.

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

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

It means that you are specifically gifted in a way that will result in your own maturity and the maturity of others if you will walk in it.

Ephesians 4:7 ESV

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

Romans 12:6–8 ESV

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Peter 4:10–11 ESV

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:18–20 ESV

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

It means that not everyone has the same gift but everyone has a special and needed gift.

It means that you will measure up because Christ measured up.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Peter 3:18 ESV

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Hebrews 10:10 ESV

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:12 ESV

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

Hebrews 10:15–17 ESV

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

You can attain the measure of the fullness of Christ!

You have been gifted by God to do ministry, build the body and glorify His name!

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:31 ESV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Let us now “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called”