Ephesians 4:8-16. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on May 17, 2020.
There is a lot of water under the bridge when it comes to churches. Many wonderful things have happened through them, but so have many bad things that were not of Christ. Christian leaders and individual Christians both need to recognize and appreciate the difficulty that we have today. It is easy to allow the obvious failures of others to blind us to our own failures. As we talk about this purpose of spiritual growth, it is clear that Christ intends for each of us to grow individually, but not to grow alone. He intends for us to be within a community, that is, even more a family. Thus, leaders who are convinced on this point must be sensitive to the prior point that many people are “shell-shocked” on this issue. A church does not belong to its leaders, and the role of leaders is not for their own benefit either. Leaders have to learn to navigate the tension of the importance of a growing connection to Christ and his Church, and the fear people have in being a part of “institutionalized religion.”
On the flip side, if you are one of those shell-shocked people who are afraid of institutionalized religion then please recognize that being a leader is not easy either. None of us are perfect and we do not lead perfect people. Church is messy because people are messy, but families stick together. In a culture that has embraced no-fault divorce and holds marriage in no high regard, it is easy to see how people are afraid to join another family. Christ is asking you to trust his way. Find a group of Christians who are serious about following and becoming like Jesus. It won’t be easy, and it will require repentance, forgiveness, and courage on your part, but God will use it to cause you to grow spiritually. Don’t settle for anything less because it is what God is going to use to make you, and the local church you attend, to become more like Him. You won’t grow up to be like the Father if you don’t spend time as a part of His family.
Jesus provides for our spiritual growth
In this passage, the Apostle Paul has described the death and resurrection of Jesus. In verse 8, he says that, when Christ ascended on high (that is, into heaven), he gave gifts to men. This sets up a whole teaching on why we have leaders and the purpose that Jesus has in giving leaders to his Church.
Yet, we must not read this passage and only focus on what the gifts are. We must also emphasize the purpose for these gifts, and that purpose is the spiritual growth of all who believe in Jesus. Jesus has made provision and is still making provision today for our spiritual growth.
There are many things that we can say Jesus has given to the Church, but here Paul is emphasizing different leadership roles in the early Church. It is interesting that he does not mention Bishops and Elders here. I don’t think that we should read too much into that because elsewhere Paul makes it clear that they are valid and helpful leadership roles. Perhaps, he sees them as redundant in regards to the ones listed here in Ephesians 4.
We are told that Jesus gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers to the fledgling Church he had begun. These roles should not be separated from the individuals who perform them. If a person who has not been sent by Christ is given one of these roles then it can be damaging to the Church. Also, a person who Jesus does call to fill one of these roles must continually remind themselves of the purpose that he intends them to fulfill.
Let’s take a quick look at each of these leadership roles and how they benefit believers.
An apostle is a reference to those first century individuals who witnessed the ministry of Jesus and his resurrection. They were to be the foundational witnesses of what he did and taught to the world. They often functioned in every level of leadership since they took the Gospel into new areas, preached to the lost, raised up churches from those saved, and nurtured them through teaching and oversight. They are also described as prophets of God. They laid down the faith that believers are called to believe and live out. The New Testament is the record of what they taught. In this sense, we don’t have apostles like this today, though we may recognize that some today have an apostolic-like ministry because they have influence and authority over multiple groups of believers, and are used of God to take the Gospel into new areas. Yet, they are not authorized to establish new doctrine that the church is to believe and follow. This was laid down once and for all by the apostles of Christ (Jude 1:3).
So, how were the apostles a gift to the Church? They gave a sure and proven foundation of the content of our faith and the purpose of God in Christ. The fact that this was written down was most often due to people who had different ideas. Anyone, who has gone online to search for the “truth” on a biblical concept, knows how hard it can be to know who to trust, not to mention that there are umpteen million ideas. Who can we trust? Jesus took care of that concern right off the bat by spending 3 years of his life with the original apostles. Even Paul recognized that he was an oddity as an apostle. Yet, his writings and ministry were approved by the original apostles, excluding Judas. We have something solid that we can use through the centuries to measure what all leaders teach and do. No leader in God’s Church is ever intended to be outside of this. Even if you are in a group that has let leaders add doctrine to the original, you have the ability to compare what they teach to the Scriptures themselves. Thus, the written record of the apostles serves as a corrective device for those who seek God. In fact, Paul stated in Galatians 1:8, “Even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” In an age of confusion and spiritual pretenders, it is refreshing to know that a new believer can pick up a Bible and be in direct contact with the pure teaching of the apostles of Jesus.
Let’s move to prophets. Prophets are those who God uses to speak to the Church regarding specific issues. They can be past, present, or future things, and their prophecies must always be judged by the leaders and elders of the assembly through a prayerful comparison to God’s Word. This gifting of some to hear from the Lord is a help to the group as a whole, even though it can be abused by individuals who are not sent by God. The answer here should not be of fear, but mature respect for the gifts of Christ.
Evangelists are those who were not apostles, and yet had a calling to spread the Good News of Jesus. They would travel from city to city, encouraging the believers, and calling the lost to salvation. This is a benefit to believers because even leaders can have tunnel vision. From time to time, God will send a person from outside the local church to speak a word that shakes us out of lethargy and complacency.
Lastly, pastors and teachers are actually two sides of the same coin. The language in the Greek gives good reason to think that Paul is presenting these as speaking about one position. They are the hands-on leadership within every local assembly, watching over the souls of each member and exhorting believers to follow Christ. As long as pastors remember that they too are sheep who belong to Jesus, they can be a great benefit to those who are helped by their instructions and prayers.
In verse 12, Paul moves from the gift itself to the purpose for the gift. Leaders must never forget what their job is. The Church does not belong to them, but to Jesus. All leadership is supposed to be equipping the Church for the work of ministry, or service. Part of my growth is to rightly listen to leaders and to learn from them so that I can better serve Christ. Yet, I must be equipped to serve. We are equipped with the truth of the Word of God because it helps us to know what serving God looks like. We are equipped with a presentation of the wisdom and help of the Holy Spirit, which teaches us how to rely upon that same Holy Spirit. We are given guidance and corrections in love. Thus, in Christ, we have everything we need to serve him today, and yet we all need to grow in faith and skill so that we can serve him better. A prayer we should always be praying is this. Lord, help me to know what ways you want me to serve your purposes.
Leaders should also equip believers so that they can build up the body of Christ. The body of Christ is an image that sees believers as an extension of Jesus. He is the head who resides in heaven. All instructions and directions are ultimately from him. However, each individual cell is connected to the life of the body so that we can work together for the functions that Christ wants. The body of Christ can be anemic, diseased, and even dead, if we are not careful in these areas. Leaders who have lost their way can be detrimental to a particular body of believers. The key is to recognize that Jesus intends for you to grow in relation to other believers so that his body may be strengthened in order to do his purposes. You need other believers, companions, brothers and sisters, who are also trusting Jesus, and they need you. This is a strength that both keeps us going, and makes our work more effective.
The goal of all of this equipping is a unity of the faith, and a unity of the knowledge of Jesus. Goal may not be the proper word. However, we must recognize that even the things we do for Jesus are not the end goal in and of themselves. When we are equipped for serving Christ and strengthening the body of believers, then we can achieve a unity of the faith, which refers to the things that we believe and trust about God. The Church is not intended to be divided on the foundational teachings of the apostles. However, through the years, individuals who were proud and full of themselves have pressed their views to the point of fracturing the Church. The point is not that we all should believe all the same things, but that we all hold to the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints. It is no difficult thing to determine what the apostles of Christ taught. It is this we are to unify around, not the additions of others who came later. Large parts of the Church have cast off the restraints (or better, the protection) of Scripture and have co-opted the Church for the purposes that are not of Christ. We can never be unified with that, but within our group, we can work for a unity of the essentials of the Gospel.
The unity of the knowledge of Jesus is just as important. Most cults that have come into existence have done so because they refused to accept the revelation of Scripture regarding just who Jesus was. Some make him out to be an angel, or a created being. Others make him out to be a spiritual master who is just one among many. In 2 Corinthians 11:4, Paul called this “another Jesus.”
“For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” (NKJV)
We are jumping in mid-stream, but Paul is concerned that the Corinthians might listen to ideas about Jesus that are not what they were taught by the apostles who were confirmed by Jesus. False apostles promote false ideas about Jesus and lead many astray from the true Gospel.
Another way of talking about unity is spiritual maturity. Verses 14 to 16 bring Paul’s point home. The whole goal of these gifts is the spiritual maturity of God’s children. He is bringing us as spiritual infants into His family and then helping us to grow until we become adult Sons of God who can step into the New Heavens and the New Earth by His side.
A person who is spiritually mature is not easily moved by every doctrine that comes along (vs. 14). Little kids are easily deceived and manipulated. Imagine a person who comes to faith in Jesus, but never connects to a good group of believers. They might use the internet to search for the answers to every question that they have. What will they find? They will find a sea of confusion blown about by every idea and teaching under the sun. As much as we may want to believe that God’s Spirit can help us to navigate these waters on our own, that is precisely the point that I am making. The Spirit is the One who has made it clear to us that our safety partly comes from being in a good, Bible-teaching group. We cannot ignore that and remain safe by some mystical connection to the Spirit of God. At that point, we are fooling ourselves.
Just as God uses individuals to help you embrace the Word of God, so the devil uses individuals to try and separate you from the healthy truth. There are many who have a flicker of spiritual life. They want to follow Christ, but are not sure how to proceed. They exist like a homeless child living outside and exposed to the elements. Christ desires something much better for you, a spiritual home where you can be cared for, encouraged, and where you can spiritually thrive.
Verse 15 mentions growing up into Christ, which is a great analogy. Don’t get stuck on how far short of being like Jesus you are. The real point is this. Am I growing to look more like him each day? That might be hard to analyze on a daily basis, but it must be our continual prayer. Growth is not separate from connection to Christ, but rather an extension of it. True connection to Jesus allows living truth to flow into my life, and that growth makes me more like Jesus. It also strengthens my connection to Christ. May our connection to Christ ever grow stronger.
Jesus is working through all people in his Church to build it up in love. Verse 16 ends with the analogy of the body of Christ. Paul sees each part “joined and knit together,” like a family. We are joined and knit together when we respond to the Spirit of God and learn to love and forgive one another. We are joined and knit together as we do life together. Covid-19 is just one example of the kind of things that crop up in the life of a church and require us to grow and bond with one another. Bonding comes from shared crises and learning to work through them together (not perfection).
Paul also sees each part “doing its share.” That share involves spiritual things, but also very practical things. Instead of seeking for the applause of one another and getting to be something big, we simply need to let Jesus teach us how to do our part. Lord, help me to do my part in your Church today, so that it may be built up in your love and strengthened for the days that we live in. In short, help us to grow to be like you!