13

Gods Plan to Build the Church

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men. (What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built upuntil we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.Ephesians 4:7-16

What is Gods plan to build the church?

Church growth has become a big movement in Christianity. Some, using secular thinking, teach that you cannot grow a heterogeneous churcha church with different ethnic groups, socio-economic groups, etc.because people dont want to cross those boundaries in following Christ. Some focus on business principlesyou need a coffee shop, you need a relaxing and inviting atmosphere, you need to meet the peoples felt needsin order to grow the church. In fact, I read a book on church growth one time that said in order to grow a church you must make the service one hour long. People dont want to be at church more than an hourfix your service around what people want and your church will grow. Most of the principles guiding church growth today are secular instead of spiritual.

But what are Gods plans to grow the church. Christ said in Matthew 16:18, On this rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. How is Christ building his church today on this earth and how can we get in line with Christour headso we can build the type of church he wants. If we build on secular principles, we get what man can builda secular church that wont last. If we build according to Christs principles, we get what God can builda church that the gates of hades will not prevail against.

In Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul who has been teaching the mystery that God called Jew and Gentile to become one in the church, continues to teach us Gods plan to build his church.

Big Question: What is Gods plan to build his church as shared in Ephesians 4:7-16, and how can we apply this to our lives and the local church?

God Builds His Church through Giving Gifts to Believers

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.Ephesians 4:7-8

When Paul says But, it is not just a conjunction; it is meant to be adversative. It can be translated In spite of that or On the other hand. He is contrasting the previous subject matter on making every effort to the keep the unity of the church because we are one body, one Lord, one Spirit, etc. (v. 4-6) with what he is about to say.[footnoteRef:1] Essentially, he says though it is Christs will for the church to be unified, this unity includes diversity. Each person has received a different grace from Christ. [1: MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 134). Chicago: Moody Press.]

This word grace means the ability to perform the task God has called us to.[footnoteRef:2] In verse 8 he describes this grace as gifts. He says, When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men. Paul pictures Christ as a conquering king distributing his booty to his followers. This is similar to what Paul said in Romans 12:6-8: [2: Hughes, R. K. (1990). Ephesians: the mystery of the body of Christ (pp. 129131). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.]

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

When Christ ascended to heaven, after conquering death, sin, and Satan in his resurrection, he distributed grace gifts to his people. Now it must be understood that spiritual gifts are not the same as talents. Talents are natural gifts we all receive at our natural birth. However, spiritual gifts are primarily received at spiritual birth or at some later time as Christ through the Holy Spirit distributes them (cf. 1 Cor 12:7).

There is some controversy over this; some believe you only receive gifts when you are saved. However, there are several Scriptures that seem to indicate otherwise. In 1 Corinthians 12:31, Paul calls believers to eagerly desire the greater gifts. This statement wouldnt make much sense if there was no opportunity to receive more. Also, Paul says this in 2 Timothy 1:6: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. It seems that Timothy clearly received another spiritual gift after salvation. Therefore, I believe it is good to pray for spiritual gifts in order to better build the church both for ourselves and others as Paul did.

God gives us gifts to serve the church. First Corinthians 12:7 says this, Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. In fact Paul says this in verse 16, From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. As each person uses their specific gifts the church grows.

Interpretation Question: What are these spiritual gifts?

There are five lists on spiritual gifts in the Bible: 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Peter 4:10-11, and Ephesians 4:11. In these lists there are around 20 spiritual gifts depending on how you interpret and count them. They include gifts like teaching, administration, mercy, exhortation, helps, tongues, faith, miracles, giving, etc. However, it is clear from these lists that the authors were not trying to be exhaustive. In fact, in the Bible we see other gifts mentioned. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul talks about the gifts of singleness and marriage. In Exodus 31, Bezalel was gifted by God with craftsmanship to build the tabernacle. For this reason, many believe that there could be an innumerable amount of gifts not mentioned in the Bible such as intercession, casting out demons, leading worship, etc. As we find our gifts and use them to build the body of Christ up, the church grows. God empowered us with graceunmerited favorto build his church. This is Gods plan.

Application Question: How do we find our spiritual gifts?

Because spiritual gifts are given to build the body of Christ, the way we find them is by getting involved and serving. As we serve, it will become clear what our gifts are. Here are some tests to determine your gift(s). First Corinthians 14:4 says this about the gifts of tongues and prophecy. It says, He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I think we can learn two common characteristics of spiritual gifts from this that will help us identify our gifts. (1) Spiritual gifts will typically edify the person who uses them. As one uses his teaching gift, he will grow and know God more. As one uses his gift in mercy, as he listens to those hurting and struggling and ministers to them, it will build him up. (2) But not only that, his gift will build others up. Paul said the gift of prophecy built others up.

Therefore, if you think you have the gift of teaching, and as you prepare and share you feel built up by God, good. But if nobody else is built up or encouraged by your teaching, it may not be your gift. Typically, spiritual gifts will both build you up and others as you use them. The only gift this might not be true of is the gift of tongues. When a person uses the gift of tongues, it only builds them up, unless it is interpreted. That is why Paul places tongues last in his list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28. It implies that tongues is one of the least gifts.

How do you find your gift? Find a way to serve the church. While serving, you will find out what edifies you and others and what doesnt? You will find out what gifts you dont have and what gifts you do have. And when you continually use your gifts, they get stronger. Paul told Timothy to not neglect his gift but to stir it into flame (cf. 1 Tim 4:14, 2 Tim 1:6). We all have the responsibility of developing our gifts into their fully potential for the kingdom of God.

Application Question: What are your spiritual gifts? What ways has God called you to use and develop them?

God Builds His Church through the Authority and Rule of the Ascended Christ

This is why it says: When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men. (What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) Ephesians 4:8-10

When Paul refers to Christ ascending on high, this is not just a change of location but a change of position. Ascending on high represents Christs authority in the heaven at the right of hand of God. Paul previously referred to this in Ephesians 1:19-21 when he said,

and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

In Christs ascension, he now rules the universe as king far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion. And one day, he will rule it not only positionally but actually at his second coming. And it is this current rule and authority that is part of Gods plan to build his church. In fact, Christ said this before his ascension in Matthew 28:18-20:

Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

When believers evangelize, serve, and build Gods church, they work through the authority of the ascended Christ. God has given us the power and authority of the resurrected Christ. That is why Paul taught that we are seated in heavenly places with Christ (Eph 2:7). This refers to his authority and ours in him. One day we will even judge angels with Christ when he returns to the earth (1 Cor 6:3).

In Ephesians 4:9-10, Paul takes a second to describe how this authority to rule and distribute gifts was secured by Christ. As mentioned, when Paul talks about Christ ascending on high, leading captives in his train, and giving gifts to men, he is picturing Christ as a conquering king parading through his city and distributing the booty. He quotes Psalm 68:18. In Psalm 68, the original author David was picturing God as marching in triumph before all Israel after the Exodus.[footnoteRef:3] God not only conquered Egypt for Israel but also nations who tried to attack them in the wilderness. [3: Hughes, R. K. (1990). Ephesians: the mystery of the body of Christ (p. 132). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.]

However, as we compare the Psalm with Pauls quotation, there is a slight difference. Psalm 68:18 says that God received gifts from men instead of giving themthis may refer to Egypt giving gifts to Israel as they left Egypt for the wilderness. Therefore, Psalm 68 is not a prophecy about Christ. Paul is making a general allusion to the passage for the sake of analogy.[footnoteRef:4] He is simply showing Christ as the victorious one through his death, resurrection, and ascension, even as God was victorious over Egypt and other nations. Christ conquered sin, death, and Satan, and in his ascension he distributed spiritual gifts to his people. God used this to give him authority over all, and one day he will make his enemies his footstool at the second coming (Psalm 110:1). [4: MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (pp. 137138). Chicago: Moody Press.]

Interpretation Question: Who were the slaves in this victorious parade of the conquering Christ?

1. Conquering kings or generals would often bring back captured enemies as slaves which may picture Christ making a public spectacle of Satan and his demons. Colossians 2:15 says, And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

2. But also kings would commonly recapture their own soldiers who were previously prisoners and bring them back to their cities in their victory parades.[footnoteRef:5] The captives in Christs victory parade also probably picture believers who were previously slaves to Satan, now free in Christ. [5: MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 138). Chicago: Moody Press.]

Interpretation Question: What is Paul referring to by Christ descending to the lower, earthly regions?

There are at least three different views on this.

1. The reformers believed it referred to the incarnation.[footnoteRef:6] When Christ descended, he left heaven and came to earth as man so that one day he could ascend to the heavens to rule. Support for this may be found in John 3:13 which says, No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heave, the Son of Man (ESV). [6: Stott, J. R. W. (1979). Gods new society: the message of Ephesians (pp. 158159). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.]

2. The early church fathers believed it referred to Christ going to hades during his three days in the grave.[footnoteRef:7] Support for this is found in 1 Peter 3:18-19 which is a controversial passage. It says, [7: Stott, J. R. W. (1979). Gods new society: the message of Ephesians (pp. 158159). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.]

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison

They believed that during Christs time in the grave, he went to hades, the abode of the dead, and there he proclaimed his victory over the devil (cf. Col 2:15). Support for this is found in Christ saying he would spend three days in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40)the heart of something typically refers to the center. Further support is seen in Christ telling the thief on the cross that on that same day he would be with him in paradise (Lk 23:43).

Hades or sheol had two compartments; one was paradise (or Abrahams Bosom) where the righteous dwelled and across the way was a place of torment as seen in Christs story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. The righteous did not originally dwell in heaven but in sheol across from the damned. In fact, there could be communication between the two, as the rich man communicated with Abraham in Christs story. Some scholars believe this was a parable and that there is no real support for the righteous ever dwelling in sheol. However, Christs story doesnt read like a parable. Typically, the people in parables werent named. Lazarus seemed to be a real person just like Abraham was.

In the New Testament, it is clear that believers now live in heaven. In 2 Corinthians 12:2 and 4, Paul equates paradise with heaven. Paul also taught that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord who is located in heaven (2 Cor 5:8). The question then becomes, When did paradise, and therefore the righteous, move to heaven?

Many believe that is part of what Paul is alluding to in his conquering king illustration. When Christ descended to the lower part of the earthhadesto declare his victory over the enemy, he took paradise and its inhabitants, the Old Testament faithful, to heaven to be with him.

John MacArthur added this about the early churchs understanding of this doctrine:

Early church dogma taught that the righteous dead of the Old Testament could not be taken into the fullness of Gods presence until Christ had purchased their redemption on the cross, and that they had waited in this place for His victory on that day. Figuratively speaking, the early church Fathers said that, after announcing His triumph over demons in one part of Sheol, He then opened the doors of another part of Sheol to release those godly captives. Like the victorious kings of old, He recaptured the captives and liberated them, and henceforth they would live in heaven as eternally free sons of God.[footnoteRef:8] [8: MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 140). Chicago: Moody Press.]

3. Some have believed it refers generally to Christs ultimate humiliation in his death.[footnoteRef:9] [9: Stott, J. R. W. (1979). Gods new society: the message of Ephesians (pp. 158159). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.]

They would say that Paul is simply referring to Christs ultimate humiliation on the cross. They would refer to what Paul taught in Philippians 2:6-11:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to deatheven death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christ descended to the depths of the earth through his death. He humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. This was the ultimate descent of Christ. On the cross, he bore hell itself, as he bore the wrath of God for our sins on the cross. And because of this ultimate descent, God has exalted him and given him a name higher than any name, that at the name of Jesus every knee would bow in heaven and on earth. And they will all call him Lord.

Personally, I would agree with this referring to Christs general humility, but I see no reason to limit it to his death. His humility includes his incarnation, his death, and his descent into hadesthough his ultimate humility was in his death. Whatever view we take, Pauls point is that his descent led to his victory as God has exalted him above all power and principality in heaven and on earth and this enables him to give gifts to men.

Application Question: How should believers apply the reality of Christs authority over the universe and ultimate rule?

1. Believers must remember the authority that they minister with when they serve God and others with their spiritual gifts.

Believers have been raised with Christ, and his authority goes with them as they minister. Christ said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 20:18-19). We should not feel insecure, fearful, or incompetent, for God has given us his very own power and authority to build his church. God has given us his own Spirita Spirit of power, love, and self-discipline to do his work (2 Tim 1:7).

2. Believers must remember the authority of Christ as they battle in spiritual warfare.

Christ has already defeated the devil in his resurrection and ascension (Col 2:15), and believers are seated in heavenly places with Christ. Therefore, Christs authority ministers through us when we confront the devils works. Jesus said, The gates of Hades would not prevail against his church (Matt 16:18). We must remember this when the lion roars and tries to insight fear, doubt, or worry in believers. We walk in our ascended Lords authority to minister to those demonically oppressed and blinded by the enemy. Thank you, Lord, for your victory. You disarmed the powers and principalities. You took away the Lions teeth. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

3. Believers should continually pray for Christs full reign on this earth.

When Paul said Christ descent and ascension was in order to fill the whole universe (v. 10), he was referring to Christs ultimate rule on the earth and therefore the whole universe. Believers should continually desire this and pray for it. Christ himself taught that we should continually pray, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done (Matt 6:10). This must be our hearts desire. We must remember this reality as we pray and even when we take the Lords Supper. The Lords Supper is not only a remembering of his death but a looking forward to his triumphant return (1 Cor 11:26).

We are Christs ambassadors on the earth, awaiting his return, and building his church through his authority and power until he comes. Lord come, Lord come. Amen.

4. Believers should remember that humility leads to exaltation.

This is true not only for Christ but for us as well. The first will be last and the last will be first. Whoever wants to be first must be lastthe slave of all. We live in a world system where everybody wants to be first in order to be served, and nobody is willing to be last to serve others. However, it is the humblethe ones who serve who will be exalted by God. As we live humble lives in order to serve the kingdom of God, one day we will be exalted as Christ was.

Application Question: Why is understanding the great authority of Christ so important to building Christs church? How can we actualize this in our daily lives and ministries?

God Builds His Church through the Ministry of Gifted Leaders

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Ephesians 4:11-14

Observation Question: What ministry leaders does Paul list in Ephesians 4:11 and what are their ministries?

Next Paul describes the gifts that the ascended Christ distributes. To our surprise, they are not really gifts at all. They are gifted leaders. Now certainly each believer receives a gift, but the gifts Paul focuses on are gifted leaders. He lists apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

The apostles were the original twelve disciples, Paul, James the brother of Jesus, Matthias, and a few others. They had to have seen the risen Christ so they could bear witness of him (Acts 1:22). God authenticated their ministry through miracles (Heb 2:1-4, 2 Cor 12:12).

Along with the prophets, they built the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20) through writing the New Testament and teaching its doctrines. Since the foundation of the church has already been built, there are no original apostles today. However, there may be apostles in a secondary sense. The Greek word apostolos simply means sent one. It was also used of those officially sent from churches. If there are apostles today, they would be missionaries, church planters, leaders over ministries, etc.

The next gifted leaders God gave the church were prophets. Prophets gave direct words from God to the people. Again, they built the foundation of the church by writing the New Testament and teaching its doctrines. Therefore, in this sense, there are no modern day prophets. They passed away with the foundation of the church. However, there are prophets in a secondary sense. Paul describes their ministry in 1 Corinthians 14:3. He said they speak to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. They may at times be identified by addressing social sins and failures of the church, even as Old Testament prophets did. God will often give them insight into an individuals life, a church, or even a nation in order to strengthen and encourage people.

The next gift God gave the church is evangelists. Evangelists are gifted in sharing the gospel with people individually through one-on-one evangelism or corporately through evangelistic preaching. They typically feel very comfortable around non-believers and are often gifted at answering questions that are hindering them from coming to the Lord. God uses the evangelist to bring people to Christ, and then the evangelist brings them to church to be discipled.

Next he gave pastors and teachers. Because teachers is lacking the article in the Greek, some believe this is one gift, pastor-teachers. The main responsibility of a pastor is to feed the church through teaching. However, it is possible for a person to be gifted in teaching and yet not be gifted in pastoring. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul mentions the gift of teaching individually so it is very possible he is referring to two separate gifts in this passage. Pastors, or it can be translated shepherds, care for people, while teacher have a special gifting to understand the Word of God and to help others understand it. In order to build the church, God gave gifted leaders as gifts to each local church.

Application Question: How should we respond to the fact that Paul calls these gifted leaders as gifts to the church?

1. The fact that Paul calls these leaders gifts, reminds us that we should be thankful for them.

These leaders are prone to attack both spiritually and naturally. They are prone to discouragement and burnout. In the US, 1,700 pastors leave the ministry every month. If Satan had one bullet, he would aim it at our spiritual leaders. Since they are our gifts, we must always be thankful for them instead of criticizing them or neglecting them.

2. The fact that Paul calls these leaders gifts, reminds us that we should take care of them.

As with any gift, we should be good stewards of them. Galatians 6:6 says, Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. We should share all good things with our instructors. Of course this means that we should make sure that their needs are met financially. Jesus said, A worker is worthy of his wages (Matt 10:10, 1 Tim 5:18). But sharing in all good things also refers to protection, encouragement, love, any other good thing we have. We should be good stewards of the gifts God has given us.

3. The fact that Paul calls these leaders gifts, reminds us that we should not overly exalt them.

In Corinth the spiritual leaders were overly exalted. People were separating into factions over them. They would say, I am of Paul, and others would say, I am of Apollos. Paul rebuked them for this in 1 Corinthians 2 saying that these are just mere men and servants. He adds in 1 Corinthians 2:22-23:

So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours,whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the futureall are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

Paul reminds them that all things were theirsthese men were gifts from God to aid them. We should definitely honor and obey our spiritual leaders (Heb 13:17), but we must make sure not to idolize them.

Interpretation Question: How do these leaders help the church grow?

Paul said these leaders were given:

to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.Ephesians 4:12-13

1. These gifted leaders help the church by preparing Gods people for works of service.

Scripture does not endorse a model where the pastors and teachers are paid professionals who do all the work and the congregation does nothing. There is a very real sense in which good pastors are trying to work themselves out of a job. They should be training the church to evangelize, disciple, baptize, and serve in various ways.

The establishment of clergy and laymen has greatly hurt the church. John Stott shared the story about a congregation he visited in the US. He said:

On the front cover of their Sunday bulletin I read the name of the Rector, the Reverend Everett Fullam, then the names of the Associate Rector and of the Assistant to the Rector. Next came the following line: Ministers: the entire congregation. It was startling, but undeniably biblical.[footnoteRef:10] [10: Stott, J. R. W. (1979). Gods new society: the message of Ephesians (p. 168). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.]

This is biblical model of church ministry. The whole church should be ministering to one another and to the world. As it does this, it is built up. 2. These gifted leaders help the church come to a unity of the faith.

These leaders help the church come to a unity of a faith by teaching healthy doctrine. They should faithfully feed the church exposition from the Word of God. Paul said this to the Ephesians elders in Acts 20:32, Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Paul challenged the leaders to be faithful to the Word because it would build them up and given them an inheritance among the saints.

The church in general is full of disunity doctrinally, but God has given us godly leaders to help us bridge this gapto help us know the truth and become unified in it. For this reason, pastors should not duck difficult texts or controversial doctrines. It is their job to help the church come to a unity of the faith.

In talking about selecting elders, Paul said this in Titus 1:9, He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Godly leaders also help us come to the unity of the faith by opposing wrong doctrine. Much of Pauls letters are correcting false teaching in the church. Good teachers do the same.

3. These gifted leaders help the church come to know Christ.

These leaders help the church come to a unity in the faith and in the knowledge of Christ. This knowledge is not only mental but primarily experiential. We certainly see this with Pauls ministry. He prayed this in Ephesians 1:17,I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. His pastoral hope was for the Ephesian congregations to know God more. And it was his hope as well. He said this in Philippians 3:8-10:

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christand be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul wanted to know Christ and he wanted others to daily experience the same. Lord, help your church know you!

4. These gifted leaders help the church become more like Christ.

Paul said attaining to the full measure of Christ (v. 13). God gave these leaders to help each member look more like Christ. Romans 8:29 says this, For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. The very reason God saved the church was for it to look just like Christ. He predestined them for this purpose even before time. These leaders as they teach the Word, pray, and serve help the church look more like Christ.

As the church grows in maturity, they will no longer be tossed to and fro by various false doctrines (v. 14). Paul describes the spiritual immature as infants. Like regular infants, they lack knowledge and discernment and are prone to danger. Its the same with spiritual infants; they are commonly prey for cults and false teachings. These gifted leaders are given to help mature the church so they will be strong and faithful.

Application Question: Why are spiritual leaders so prone to discouragement and burn out? How is God calling you to better care for your spiritual leaders?

God Builds His Church through the Ministry of Every Member of the Body

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.Ephesians 4:15-16

Gods plan is not just to build the church through the ministry of gifted leaders but also through the ministry of every member. As mentioned, God gives these leaders to equip the church for ministry and as each person serves the church it grows. In Ephesians 4:15-16, Paul focuses more on the members roles in building the church.

Interpretation Question: How do the members of the church help build the body of Christ?

1. Members help the church grow by living the truth.

When the text says speaking the truth in love, it is very hard to interpret in English. Some have translated it truthing in love.[footnoteRef:11] The Greek verb altheu literally means to speak, deal, or act truthfully.[footnoteRef:12] This refers not just to speaking but acting in accord with the truth as well. When believers live out the truth of the Word of God in their speech and actions, the church grows. [11: Stott, J. R. W. (1979). Gods new society: the message of Ephesians (pp. 171172). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.] [12: MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 159). Chicago: Moody Press.]

However, when the church is not living the truth, it pushes people away from God and one another. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:6 that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. When sin and compromise are happening in the church it affects everybody and brings down the spiritual maturity of the church. In addition, Christ said we either gather or scatter (Matt 12:30). There is no in between. When believers live the truth, the church grows.

2. Members help the church grow by loving one another.

If we have truth without love, it leads to pride and division. First Corinthians 8:1 says knowledge puffs up but love builds up. Living and teaching the truth without love only pushes people away. Christ taught the truth, but he also ate and drank with sinners. He forgave the prostitute. We must live the truth in a loving manner which includes forgiving and being patient with people as we help them either come to know Christ or grow in Christ. Love is the ground that the seed of truth grows. If there is no love, it pushes people away. However, if we only have love and no truth, then we have liberalisma gross acceptance of sin.

3. Members help the church grow by being connected.

Paul describes the growing church as being joined and held together by every supporting ligament (v. 16). Like a body, the church is held together by being joined and held together by every supporting ligament. The church does not grow when it is separated. When we live in isolation from one another, when we just attend church but are not involved in the church, the entire church suffers. The parts of the body need each other. The eye needs the hand and the hand needs the eye.

Therefore, we must make effort to be connected and also, as Paul mentioned in the previous passage, we must make every effort to keep the unity of the body of Christ (Eph 4:3). We must work to heal any division or cancer that tries to destroy the body and keep it from growing.

4. Members help the church grow by serving.

As mentioned, Paul said the body grows as each part does its work (v. 16). Each member of the body has a role, even the pinky toe. Without the pinky, the body will be instable. This is how most churches function, they are not stable and not functioning at full capacity because each person isnt fulfilling their role.

What is your role in the church? How is God calling you to fulfill it?

Application Question: In using the body metaphor, which part or parts of the body would you be and why? In what ways can you better encourage participation and unity amongst all the parts of your local church or ministry?

Conclusion

Christ said On this rock, I will build my church. God is building his church today. What is Gods plan? How is he building the church and how can we get involved in it?

1. God Builds His Church through Giving Gifts to Believers2. God Builds His Church through the Authority and Rule of the Ascended Christ3. God Builds His Church through the Ministry of Gifted Leaders4. God Builds His Church through the Ministry of Every Member of the Body