Unity
in the Body of Christ
4
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of
the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness,
with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 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. 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?[a] 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[b] and
teachers,[c] 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,[d] 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.
The
New Life
17
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the
Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their
understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is
in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have
given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practise every kind of impurity.
20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard
about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your
old self,[e] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through
deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to
put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness
and holiness.
25
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with
his neighbour, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin;
do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the
devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing
honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with
anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only
such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace
to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you
were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and
anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
forgave you.
Matthew
Henry's Commentary
Ephesians 4v11ff
3.
Which is taken from Christ’s great end and design in giving gifts unto men. The
gifts of Christ were intended for the good of his church, and in order to
advance his kingdom and interest among men. All these being designed for one
common end is a good reason why all Christians should agree in brotherly love,
and not envy one another’s gifts. All are for the perfecting of the saints
(Eph. 4:12); that is, according to the import of the original, to bring into an
orderly spiritual state and frame those who had been as it were dislocated and
disjointed by sin, and then to strengthen, confirm, and advance them therein,
that so each, in his proper place and function, might contribute to the good of
the whole.—For the work of the ministry, or for the work of dispensation; that
is, that they might dispense the doctrines of the gospel, and successfully
discharge the several parts of their ministerial function.—For the edifying of
the body of Christ; that is, to build up the church, which is Christ’s mystical
body, by an increase of their graces, and an addition of new members. All are
designed to prepare us for heaven: Till we all come, etc., Eph. 4:13. The gifts
and offices (some of them) which have been spoken of are to continue in the
church till the saints be perfected, which will not be till they all come in
the unity of the faith (till all true believers meet together, by means of the
same precious faith) and of the knowledge of the Son of God, by which we are to
understand, not a bare speculative knowledge, or the acknowledging of Christ to
be the Son of God and the great Mediator, but such as is attended with
appropriation and affection, with all due honour, trust, and obedience.—Unto a
perfect man, to our full growth of gifts and graces, free from those childish
infirmities that we are subject to in the present world.—Unto the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ, so as to be Christians of a full
maturity and ripeness in all the graces derived from Christ’s fullness: or,
according to the measure of that stature which is to make up the fullness of
Christ,
Asbury Bible
Commentary
V.
11 returns to the theme of v. 7. It was Jesus who gave the church its leaders
(apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers). This is confirmed in
other passages, notably 1Co 12:4-11; 12:28. Here, however, the emphasis is
altered slightly to suggest that Spirit-endowed persons are God's gift to the
church. Apostles are those commissioned to preach the Gospel. Accordingly, in
1Th 2:6 Timothy and Silas are counted among the “apostles of Christ,” as is Barnabas
in Ac 14:4. Prophets speak in the churches under the direct prompting of the
Spirit; evangelists lead people to knowledge of the Gospel; pastor/teachers
(“shepherds”) help converts to understand and apply the Gospel.
Why
are they given to the church? Their purpose is to prepare God's people for
works of service. To what end? These offices are of first importance because
those who have these gifts/offices direct others to perform their respective
ministries for the common good. As persons perform better their particular
ministries, the entire body is strengthened. The body builder knows that each
muscle must be strengthened if the whole body is to be developed properly. Some
persons in the community fill the vital role of assisting others to exercise
their gifts that the whole body of Christ might be built up.
A
powerful calling! Elim Missions
Ephesians 4v1
Ephesians 4v1
Your
calling is the same as that of Christ Jesus.
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work, and so must we. (1 John 3:8)
We must not live in fear of the evil one more spend time shouting at him. We must move into our culture to have such an effect on the poor, injustice, offering grace, healing broken lives, that we destroy him!
Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist ... and so must we. (John 13:3-4)
You are never too big to get small. In fact the higher you get the lower you must become. Take off the garments of recognition, letting people see you in a way that is humbling, human and honest.
Your
calling is right now.
For Paul it was this prison he had been called to.
Where are you now? Are you displaying your calling?
Two years ago I had the privilege of speaking with the director of a woman's ministry in Swaziland. A wonderful woman helping women live lives of freedom and find Christ in the midst of their HIV death sentences. The difference is she herself is a HIV patient and has 4 years expectancy, at times the doctors have said to her that she could die that day or the next, but she carries on in her calling. Her calling is right now in this body wrecked with disease. Two years on she continues in her calling.
Stop thinking of what people think of your circumstance and live the calling right now. It may not be perfect but neither is the world. Do you know how many days you have left to live? So why wait another day to begin to live your calling?
Where can God take you if you believe in the calling He has given you?
What can God do with you if you believe in His calling?
An extract from Kingdom Dynamics from
the New Spirit Filled Life Bible.
, “Shepherding amid the Supernatural, Ephesians
4:11ff teaches us that all leadership gifts are given by Christ the Lord of the
church to “equip” (that is to mend, prepare and enable to function) the whole
body of the congregation............ , true supernatural ministry at work in
the church begets vital, spiritually functional people throughout the whole
church family. The body is to be built up by the mutual efforts of all members
supplying their contribution to the whole. The call to empower people
requires mentoring, training, imparting and discipling/discipleship - all aimed
at preparing the body for stability and increase.”
" Ephesians 4:12 equipping, Strongs #2677 A making fit, preparing, training, perfecting, making fully qualified for service. In classic language the word is used for setting a bone during surgery,
Matthew 10:2 shepherd, poimon,
Strong’s #4166
“a herdsman, sheepherder, one who
tends, leads, guides, cherishes, feeds, and protects a flock. The New Testament
uses the word for a Christian pastor to whose care and leadership others will
commit themselves.”
Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning
point--a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go more and
more toward a slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and
more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest--our best for His glory."
--Oswald Chambers, from the My Utmost for His Highest
Not called!' did you say? 'Not
heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and
hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down
to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for
help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to
their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and
masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you
have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and
body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world."
William Booth.
The Bible Panorama
Ephesians 4
V 1–6: UNITY Paul urges the Ephesians to a worthy walk which reflects the
oneness of the body of Christ in spiritual unity. In so doing, he clearly
emphasises that there is only ‘one Lord, and one faith, one baptism; one God
and Father of all’. Unity for him does not mean sacrificing truth. It is
because of his stand for God’s truth that he writes as ‘the prisoner of the
Lord’. V 7–10: INDIVIDUALITY This unity does not detract from
the fact that grace is individually given to each person who trusts Christ, and
that God gives enabling gifts to individual believers. He is the universe’s
highly ascended Lord, and can do that easily! V 11–16: COMMUNITY God
has given certain gifted people to His church. They are apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers. His aim, through them, is to equip and edify
His people so, together, they know Christ, stand firm on biblical doctrine
against those who would deceive, and recognise how they all together fit into
the body of Christ of which He is head. V 17–19: FUTILITY The
Christian Gentile is to be contrasted with the other Gentiles who, as
unbelievers, walk ignorantly, blindly, and in sin and greediness. V
20–24: IDENTITY In coming to know Christ, their old ways are dispensed
with and the ‘new man’ is put on, in righteousness and holiness. There is a
spiritual renewal of the mind and a radical change of identity for the
born-again Christian. V 25–32: QUALITY There is a new quality
of life of the Christian which reflects the fact that he does not ‘grieve the
Holy Spirit of God’. He rejects former sinful ways, words and works, and
applies himself to replacing them with positive good. He gives the devil no
place in his life and rejects his former negative behaviour and sin. His new
quality of life is shown by tender-heartedness, showing forgiveness to others,
and avoiding grieving the Spirit. The springboard for this is that ‘God in
Christ forgave you’.
Dictionary of Bible Themes
7789
shepherd, as church leader
Church leaders are likened to shepherds, on account of their
pastoral responsibilities and tasks.
Jesus Christ, the archetypal shepherd
Appointment of shepherds
Shepherd responsibilities
Caring for the flock Jn 21:16 See also Mt 25:36; Ac 20:28; Php 1:1; 1Ti 3:1-2; 2Ti 1:17; Tit 1:7; Jas 1:27; 1Pe 5:2
7026
church, leadership of
Jesus
Christ is the absolute head of the church. He sets leaders in the church to
enable the whole church to grow into maturity. Christ’s authority in the church
is acknowledged more by the church’s obedience to God than through any
particular form of government.
The
appointment of leaders in the church
God
calls and equips leaders Eph 4:11 See also Mt 16:18; Ac 1:24-26; Ac 9:15-16; Ac
20:28; Ac 26:16-18; 1Co 12:28; Gal 1:15-17
Delegated
leadership Ac 6:3-6; Ac 14:23; Tit 1:5
The
appointment of apostles Mk 3:13-19 pp Mt 10:1-4 pp Lk 6:12-16 As founders of
the church: 1Co 9:1-2; 2Co 3:3; Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14 As leaders of the church:
Ac 2:42; Ac 15:6,22-23; 1Th 2:6; 2Pe 3:2; Jude 17
Prophets
as leaders Ac 15:32 Judas and Silas were leaders in the Jerusalem church (Ac
15:22). See also Ac 11:27-30; Ac 13:1-2; Ro 12:6 The role of prophets as
leaders is distinct from the gift of prophecy, which was in principle available
to all; 1Co 12:28; 1Co 14:29-30; Eph 3:5
Evangelists
as leaders Ac 21:8 See also Eph 4:11; 2Ti 4:5
Pastors
and teachers as leaders Ac 20:28 See also Jn 21:15-17; Ac 13:1; Ro 12:7; 1Co
12:28; 1Ti 3:2; Tit 1:9; Jas 3:1; 1Pe 5:2 Pastors are also called “shepherds”.
Elders
as leaders 1Ti 3:1 “Elder” and “overseer” or “bishop” are more or less
interchangeable. See also Ac 11:30; Ac 14:23; Ac 15:2,22; Ac 20:17; 1Ti 5:17;
Tit 1:5; Jas 5:14; 2Jn 1
Deacons
as leaders Php 1:1 “Deacon” means “one who serves”. See also Ac 6:5-6; 1Ti 3:8
Responsibilities
of church leaders
To
preach the gospel Ro 1:15; 1Co 1:17; Gal 2:8; Eph 3:8; 1Ti 2:7
To
teach sound doctrine 1Ti 4:6,13; 1Ti 5:17; Heb 13:7
To
give direction in church life Ac 15:2,6,22-23; Ac 16:4; Ac 20:28-31; 1Ti 5:17;
1Pe 5:2
To
be an example in loving service Mt 20:26-28 pp Mk 10:43-45; Mk 9:35; Jn
13:13-15; Heb 13:7; 1Pe 5:3
To
train and appoint other leaders Ac 14:23; 1Ti 4:14; 2Ti 2:2; Tit 1:5
To
pray for the sick Jas 5:14
Some Scriptures to consider.
Some Scriptures to consider.
1
Peter 5:2New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
2
be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – not
because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not
pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;
Jeremiah
3:15New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
15
Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with
knowledge and understanding.
Psalm
78:70-72New American Standard Bible (NASB)
70
He also chose David His servant
And
took him from the sheepfolds;
71
From [a]the care of the [b]ewes with suckling lambs He brought him
To
shepherd Jacob His people,
And
Israel His inheritance.
72
So he shepherded them according to the
integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his
skillful hands.
John
15:1-17 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
The
vine and the branches
15
‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch
in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a]
so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the
word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch
can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear
fruit unless you remain in me.
5
‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you
will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain
in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are
picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words
remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to
my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my
disciples.
9
‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If
you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my
Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my
joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this:
love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to
lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I
command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his
master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I
learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you
might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you
ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: love each
other.
Isaiah 6:8 English Standard
Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
Isaiah's Commission from the Lord
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Part 2 Words for The Wise,
Called to Serve, Ephesians 2 Nasb
Part
3 Words for The Wise, The Gospel Centred Life , Ephesians 3 English Standard
Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
Further Reading
