Equipping the Saints to Build up the Body of Christ
Notes
Transcript
BLANK SLIDE TO BEGIN RECORDING (Please don’t wait for Matt to be on podium.)
SLIDE: Series Graphic
Introduction and Scripture Reading
Introduction and Scripture Reading
Illustration
Illustration
There’s a certain expectation at the beginning of any team sport, or joint effort. In sports, just before the game teams will huddle up, get a pep talk, and then jog out to their respective positions. In band, or orchestra, each musician will their seats and tune their instruments (honestly the most terrible sounding part of the concert (although the concert hasn’t really begun yet). And while it doesn’t sound the best yet, there’s an oddly satisfying aural beauty when each instrument finalizes their tuning and the orchestra is in tune together.
Wouldn’t it be odd if, after the team huddles up and receives their emotionally-driven motivational speech, they all ran out to the same position on the field or court? Or, equally, if the band or orchestra members all walked out with the same instrument and sheet music in their hands?
Scripture Introduction
Scripture Introduction
We are looking at a section of Ephesians in which the apostle Paul is at pains to stress the church’s unity. It is a particular kind of unity, which owes itself to the wisdom of God in creating great diversity meant to sustain this very unity.
What do you think of when you think of the word “unity”?
Some people think of a large organizational structure in which unity comes from the submission of each of the individual parts to authorities.
Others think of unity as conformity in which each Christian is supposed to be the exact boring replica of every other.
The unity the Bible speaks of is something quite different.
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Last week we saw a unity of experience and identity for all Christians which God created and we are to maintain. In verses 4–6, Paul says:
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.
One God is Father of all and is over all and through all and in all. Yet no sooner has Paul spoken of this unity than he goes on to speak of diversity in the area of gifts. Paul explains how God grows a church through its living out the theological reality of its spiritual unity.
Paul gives us the keys to church growth, not in numbers, but in the pure sense of what develops the members of the Body of Christ.
Let’s ask the Lord to open the eyes of our hearts to see and understand what he has for us through looking into his Word this morning.
Prayer
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we seek the understanding that you intend for us as we read your inspired Word, which is the full and complete revelation from you to us. We ask you, the giver of all good gifts, for a particular understanding this morning that moves through our minds and pierces our hearts with life-giving, soul-satisfying, unity-maintaining understanding. We pray this so that we might see you fill us all as you work through us all for your glory: our triune Father, Son and Spirit. Amen.
Scripture reading
Scripture reading
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7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 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, 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.
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I. Christ Jesus gives varieties of gifts to be used for his purposes (7-10).
I. Christ Jesus gives varieties of gifts to be used for his purposes (7-10).
(For reference. I won’t read again and will move quickly to point A.)
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
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A. Each Christian has received the enabling grace of spiritual gifts in the exact proportion that Christ gave it (7).
A. Each Christian has received the enabling grace of spiritual gifts in the exact proportion that Christ gave it (7).
Notice the contrast, “But,” at the beginning of v. 7. Last week we saw that God has created unity in the church that we are to maintain. We don’t create unity, we maintain it. In our passage today Paul shows us how God has given gifts, creating the diversity necessary for maintaining the unity of the body of Christ.
“Grace” here means the ability to perform the task God has called us to. Here, it does not designate saving grace here, but grace for ministry, if indeed the two can be separated. Just as in Ephesians 3:7, 8 Paul says that his apostleship came with the gift of God’s grace, in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 he explains similarly about God’s enabling grace.
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3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 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.
In the same way that our salvation ought to bring leagues of humility, the grace of spiritual gifts given to each Christian—for the purposes God ordained before the world was formed—ought to bring with it life-altering humility, leading us to walk in faith as we put our gifts into practice.
We often view life through the lens of how things make “me” look/appear to others—with a veiled self-centered pride. But Paul shows us that our gifts are given for the common good, which is how Christ maintains unity through the diversity of gifts.
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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. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
The point for us is: each of us has received this enabling grace in the exact proportion that Christ gave it.
Unity does not exist in the sameness of person or responsibility, but in origin from God, dependence on the one gospel, and destination with God. Within the unity of the body of Christ, grace is given to everyone so that each person has a different responsibility.
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B. Our individual grace of gifts have an incredible origin (8-10).
B. Our individual grace of gifts have an incredible origin (8-10).
Paul goes on to say in verses 8–10 that not only do we each have a special grace, but our individual graces have a spectacular origin:
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8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Paul borrows a line from Psalm 68:18.
In verse 7 of that psalm God is pictured as marching in triumph before all Israel after the Exodus. When he comes to Sinai, the earth shakes under his feet (v. 8).
Then in verses 11–14 kings and armies are described as fleeing before him while his people sleep peacefully before their fires.
Finally, in verses 16 and 17, from Mt. Sinai God sets his sight on Mt. Zion and moves with “tens of thousands and thousands of thousands” of chariots up the slopes of Jerusalem in victory, leading captives in his train and receiving gifts from men (v. 18).
As Paul applies this line to Christ in Ephesians, changes the line from “receiving” to “giving” — the triumphant Christ “gave gifts to men.” Paul’s re-interpreting this OT text as it foreshadows Christ’s victory which is seen in his ascension.
Ancient military victories precipitated the receiving of tribute and the distribution of the gifts. (John R. W. Stott, God’s New Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), p. 1957.)
Paul is applying the imagery of Psalm 68:18 to Christ’s incarnation—including his virgin birth, perfect/sinless life, sacrificial death, burial, resurrection—and ascension. The fact that he “ascended” implies that he descended in the Incarnation to the “lower, earthly regions,” which is another way of indicating the humiliation of coming to earth (cf. John 3:13).
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13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
Jesus’ descent to earth meant that he set aside the independent exercise of his attributes (such as his omnipresence), submitting the exercise of them to the Father’s will, and went down, down, down in the Incarnation, and then went even further down in his death, actually becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
But then he burst up in exaltation — so that now he fills the whole universe as a conquering King and joyously lavishes gifts upon his children. He bestows abundant gifts to his Church and gives his people power to fulfill their gifts.
The gifts and enabling grace which we have, have been given to us as Christ measured and given them. They came from the conquering King and are given with great expectation on his part, for he expects us to use them to bring power and victory in the Church.
Transition: What are the graces he gives? The answer can be partially seen in the five lists of spiritual gifts in the Scriptures (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:8–10; 12:28–30; Romans 12:6–8; 1 Peter 4:11). But here Paul focuses on four gifted persons who are gifts to the church:
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II. Christ gave leaders to equip other Christians for ministry (11-14).
II. Christ gave leaders to equip other Christians for ministry (11-14).
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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, 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.
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A. Four types of gifts are given for leadership in the N.T. Church (11).
A. Four types of gifts are given for leadership in the N.T. Church (11).
Two were for the initial building of the church and two for the ongoing expansion and building up of the church.
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1 & 2. Apostles and prophets
1 & 2. Apostles and prophets
Apostles and prophets are foundational gifts to the Church. We saw earlier in Ephesians 2:20 and 3:5 that “apostles” were the Twelve, and “prophets” were those who preached in conjunction with the apostles (cf. Acts 11:27ff.; 13:1ff.; 21:4, 9; 1 Corinthians 14:1). (And of course there are those prophets that ministered in the Old Testament as well.)
The first of the gifted men in the New Testament church were the apostles, of whom Jesus Christ Himself is foremost (Heb. 3:1). The basic meaning of apostle (apostolos) is simply that of one sent on a mission.
In its primary and most technical sense apostle is used in the New Testament only of the twelve, including Matthias, who replaced Judas (Acts 1:26), and of Paul, who was uniquely set apart as apostle to the Gentiles (Gal. 1:15–17; cf. 1 Cor. 15:7–9; 2 Cor. 11:5).
To be chosen for apostleship, one must have:
To be chosen for apostleship, one must have:
been chosen directly by Christ; and
witnessed the resurrected Christ (Mark 3:13; Acts 1:22–24). (Paul was the last to meet those qualifications (Rom. 1:1; etc.).
It is not possible then, for there to be apostles in the church today.
Pastor John MacArthur notes that “the apostles were like delegates to a constitutional convention. When the convention is over, the position ceases. When the New Testament was completed, the office of apostle ceased.”
Apostles and prophets, were given three basic responsibilities:
to lay the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20);
to receive and declare the authoratative revelation of God’s Word (Acts 11:28; 21:10–11; Eph. 3:5); and
to give confirmation of that Word through “signs and wonders and miracles” (2 Cor. 12:12; cf. Acts 8:6–7; Heb. 2:3–4).
They were given to the Church to get her established, but now their role is fulfilled through the completed 27-books of the New Testament, so the apostles and prophets with their uniquely authoritative purpose and gifting did not extend beyond the apostolic age.
Transition: Commentator F. F. Bruce rightly points out that:
The apostles as an order of the ministry of the church, were not perpetuated beyond the apostolic age, but the various functions they discharged did not lapse with their departure, but continued to be performed by others — notably the evangelists and pastors and teachers.
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3. Evangelists and 4. Pastor-Teachers
3. Evangelists and 4. Pastor-Teachers
The evangelists and shepherds (or pastors/elders) and teachers (or shepherd-teachers) picked up the baton from the first generation apostles and prophets.
Evangelists continually speak of the message of Christ’s salvation.
Evangelists continually speak of the message of Christ’s salvation.
The term occurs only two other times in the NT:
as a description of Philip (Acts 21:8), who brought the message to the area between Jerusalem and Gaza where he met the Ethiopian eunuch and explained the message of Jesus to him. When the eunuch believed, he baptized him. After this, Philip continued to preach the message in various places from Azotus to Caesarea (Acts 8:26–40); and
as a kind of ministry Paul exhorted Timothy to perform (2 Tim 4:5).
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5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
While all Christians are called to proclaim the gospel, evangelists by definition are those with a special gift and accompanying passion to do so.
They may do so as missionaries in foreign cultures or in their own culture (George Whitefield, John Wesley, Billy Graham).
They may travel around or function mainly in one church (2 Tim. 4:5).
As verse 12 implies, evangelists should not only preach the gospel, but also help equip the rest of us to do it better.
Pastor-Teachers
Pastor-Teachers
The word pastor (ποιμένας) means shepherd, and is a metaphor for one who is a shepherd of people. This is the only place in the New Testament where the noun (pastor) is used to refer to a ministry in the church, but the verb (ποιμαίνω) appears several times in this sense (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2; see, John 21:16).
Pastor, elder, and overseer (= bishop) are used interchangeably (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Tim. 3:1; Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Pet. 5:1–3).
Elder points to the fact that church leaders must be mature men of God.
Overseer looks at the main task, that of managing, leading (Heb. 13:7, 17), or overseeing the church.
Pastor looks at the task from the analogy of a shepherd and his flock. In that sense, he must feed (teach) the flock with God’s Word, guard the flock from wolves, and gently care for the flock.
1 Peter 5:1–2 brings all three terms together. Peter instructs the elders to be good bishops as they pastor:
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1 Peter 5:1–2 (ESV)
1 So I exhort the elders (presbuteros) among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd ()poimainō the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight (episkopeo), not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
(Acts 20:17, 28 also use all three terms interchangeably.)
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B. God’s purpose is to equip Christians for ministry (12).
B. God’s purpose is to equip Christians for ministry (12).
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
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C. When each Christian uses his/her gift the church matures (13-14).
C. When each Christian uses his/her gift the church matures (13-14).
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.
Robby Gallaty right points out that “ministry is the pathway to maturity, not the other way around.”
Conclusion and Transition to Communion
Conclusion and Transition to Communion
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Communion
Communion