Speaker Rev. Matt Broadway
The big idea: Jesus has equipped His church with what it needs for the work He has given us to do.
Equipped
“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” (vv. 11-12).
God brings a variety of people into your life to equip you for the ministry. This may include pastors and youth leaders, but also parents, teachers, friends, and others. Ministry is not just the job of paid pastors, and equipping the church is the job of every member.
Built Up
“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” (v. 13).
What is it that we are being built into? The Apostle Paul lists two specific goals:
1) Unity of Faith
If you look back at the beginning of Ephesians 4, you see that unity is a foundational principle for the church.
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (vv. 1-7).
Unity is not optional. Disagreements may come, because any group of people will have different opinions on what we should do and how we should do it. However, we need to be committed to communicating with one another and working through our differences rather than running from them or trying to bury them.
2) Maturity
We are all to grow into mature believers, becoming like our Lord Jesus Christ. In the book of Romans, Paul wrote, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (8:29a). Reading through Ephesians 4:25-32, you can see how Jesus is the perfect example for us. He is the only one who ever lived in perfect obedience to the Father. And because we have the Holy Spirit living in us, we are increasingly enabled to walk in a manner worthy of Him day by day.
Deceitful Schemes
“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” (v. 14).
One of the greatest dangers to the church comes not from external pressures, but internal—false teaching and plans that are built on human intuition rather than on the Word of God. The Bible should always be our guidebook for life and practice.
Growing Together
“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” (vv. 15-16).
As we move into a new phase in our church, we each need to commit to open communication. We must speak the truth, but we must do so with love and compassion for one another. We can’t just talk, but we must listen to one another as well. We have different backgrounds, experiences, and spiritual gifts. We all are needed for the proper functioning of the body. Each person has something to contribute. If we keep our focus on God and His Word, we can keep in step with the Holy Spirit and grow together into the mature church He intends for us to be.
“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. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Rom. 12:3-5).
