Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:20-21. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:20-21

“You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.”

In verses 17 to 19, Paul describes the depravity of the Gentile unbelievers. living in darkness and ignorance, and therefore slaves to every form of sensuality with a lust for more.

Now Paul says, ”You did not come to Christ that way.” In other words, their knowledge of Christ is the light that broke through their ignorance and changed their thinking and behaviour.

Before we were saved, we may not have had any knowledge or interest in the person of Jesus Christ. His name, the Name above all names, may have just been a meaningless swear word. If we thought about Him in anyway, we might have assumed he was just a person like us.

But, Paul reminds us, Jesus was not a person just like everybody else. He certainly was not a person who lived in the depravity of thinking that Paul has described.

As we get to know Jesus, as we are taught in him, so our understanding of Jesus grows. We see a life lived in simplicity and holiness.

Paul now offers us a choice of two lifestyles – that of the unsaved Gentiles marked by sin and self-direction, or the life of Jesus marked by holiness and God- direction. These two diametrically opposed and cannot be mixed together .

To follow Jesus is not to adopt some kind of religious ideology or theory. Christianity must never be understood as merely a set of dogmas. Following Jesus or being “ in Christ” means that our lifestyle and worldview must undergo radical changes so that we live, speak, and think in a way that is consistent with the way of Christ.

To be “taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus” means firstly, a teaching of facts. The historic Creeds were an attempt to describe the basics of what Christians believe.

The facts, by themselves are not enough. We need to remember that we are following a person. This truth that is in Jesus must be seen in the words and actions of Jesus. in particular, we must absorb the reality of his death on the cross. The gospels show this clearly with each one describing incidents from the life of Jesus in the first half, and then moving to detailed descriptions of his trial, death, and resurrection in the second half.

To be a Christian, we must first know who Jesus is and why his death is important for us.

To follow Jesus we must also learn to have an ongoing personal relationship with him. This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit, given to us when we are born again.

Christianity is about imitating Christ, becoming like the “Son of Man.” To do this, we need both the truth about who Jesus is and a personal connection with Him so that He can direct our daily walk.

Key points in this verse:

• We did not come to know Jesus as a sinful person, but as the divine Son of God
• Christianity is more than a set of doctrines
• We need an ongoing personal relationship with Jesus in order to follow him.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:19. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:19

“Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality, so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual last for more.”

Paul is continuing his description of those Gentiles who have not been saved .

This section started with an appeal to the Christians at Ephesus to not be like the Gentiles in their thinking. He is now describing how their misguided thinking becomes a lifestyle of sin and depravity.

Paul is not saying that every Gentile is living a lifestyle of sexual sin, but he is making a strong point that when we are apart from Christ, our standards and values are very different to God’s standards. In the same ways, cultures that turn away from God rapidly descend to self- centeredness and sexual immorality.

Paul says that the Gentiles have lost all sensitivity. They have become calloused and hard in their conscience.

When we consistently choose to sin and follow our own desires, the voice of our consciences, and even of the Holy Spirit, become unimportant. We make a decision to disobey God and soon we find ourselves committing acts that we once would have thought beyond our capability, and enjoying them.

An example can be pornography, although the principle applies to any area of sin. Many people feel guilty when they start looking at less explicit videos or pictures. They ignore their conscience and soon are looking at degradation they could never have imagined. While their conscience may still be calling them away from these things, they suppress that to enjoy the experience. Before long, some people are moving beyond the immoral to the forms of pornography such as child abuse.

Whenever we harden our hearts, or allow ourselves to lose sensitivity to sin, then we are on a slippery slope of depravity. Without Christ, we are all depraved and hostage to our fleshly desires.

The Gentiles, Paul says, have given themselves over to sensuality. Sensuality, as the name implies, is the pleasing of our senses, our natural fleshly desires. “If it feels good, do it,” is the mantra from the 1970’s that summarises sensuality .

We have seen this played out in the Western nations over the last two decades in particular. People are keen to have experiences that appeal to the senses. Another thought that expresses this is, “life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but the events that take your breath away.”

So we spend billions of dollars on travel, in exotic food, and so on We have TV shows that tell us where we can go for those breathtaking moments that live with us forever. We have endless cooking and home renovation shows to reproduce breathtaking moments (i.e. sensuality) in our homes.

Every form of sexual deviance is now accepted as normal, and even better than normal marital relations.

We move from sensuality to impurity or uncleanness. There are some things which God has declared to be unclean, that is, not suitable for people who have been made holy by the blood of Christ.

This idea of impurity is not laid down in law like in the Old Testament. It does not relate to what we eat or wear, but to who we are.

What the world says is good does not necessarily line up with what God says is good for us, or suitable for us.

Things that take us away from Him become idols, and are therefore impure. We can find forgiveness for these things, but it is much better to stay in the place of blessing .

Contrary to the world, any form of sexual expression outside of marriage (that is, one man plus one woman united for life) is wrong.

The taking of a life in murder, through slavery, or abortion is wrong.

Putting our trust in the acquisition of material goods is wrong.

We need to ensure that we live in humble dependence on God, trusting Him to meet our needs, and believing that the Bible is God’s word for us. Our values and our conduct must be so different to the world or “the Gentiles.”

Finally ,Paul says there they constantly lust for more. Pursuing the way of the flesh gives a person a thrill that leads to a lust for more of the same.

If you were going to be unfaithful to your wife, why stop at one affair, one lover, or even just women?

Our imaginations can always develop scenarios or pictures or fantasies of how this particular pleasure could be even better.

If you step off God’s path, why even go in the same direction? That is the logic of sensual pleasure- all for the body, and the body alone. Don’t stop with tentative sins. Sin boldly. ”You might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb.”

So who can save the people of the world from this hideous pathway of sin? Thanks be to God- it is Jesus Christ who has paid for our redemption and who calls us back to Him.

Key points in this verse:

• The Gentiles, or unredeemed people of the world, have given themselves to a lifestyle of sin .
• Christians are not to be like this.
• When we sin, our conscience is can be hardened towards God.
• Worshipping the senses can lead to uncleanness.
• Sin tends to take us deeper than we might have thought possible
• Only Christ can take us off this treadmill of hunger for more sin.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:18. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:18

“They[ the Gentiles] are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.”

Paul here is scathing in his description of the state of unredeemed Gentiles. He goes on to make it clear that he is not talking about the Ephesian christians because they have clearly accepted the gospel.

The unsaved Gentiles are darkened in their understanding.

Before any person comes to know Jesus, they are living in a state of spiritual darkness. Satan has blinded them to the truth because they are living under deception. They cannot see the truth because they are blind and in the dark.

Even when such people make an intellectual assent to the gospel, it lacks the power to change them because they are in the dark. It takes a revelation, a special act of God, to heal their spiritual blindness.

This darkness of understanding extends to areas other than spiritual. It includes lack of wisdom (or foolishness) in daily living. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” (Psalm 14:1) and lives in the belief that he or she is God and able to determine their own life. The academics and elite leaders multiply this foolishness by promoting and endorsing it.

This darkness and understanding extends to scientific realms also. The presuppositions and biases in various fields are based on human wisdom, not on the understanding that God created all things and sustains them. They think that it all just came into existence, and ignore the signs that there is a creator.

They are separated from the life of God.

The word “separated” here can also mean “alienated”. They are not just cut off spatially from the life of God, but also relationally. They are not just removed from God, they are opposed to Him.

To be separated from the life of God means that they are far away from the source of life. They are effectively living as zombies, the walking dead.

Those who have not been born again, that is born of the Spirit, are living partial lives, lives that are less than what God intended for us. The way to experience true life, life in all its fullness, is to be connected to the source of life, that is God.

To do this we must receive Jesus, who is the Life. It is our rebellion against God that alienates us from Him. When we come to Jesus and confess our sins to Him, then we are forgiven and receive eternal life.

This darkness of their minds and separation from the life of God is due to the ignorance that is in them.

Ignorance is not a lack of knowledge, although that is tragic in itself. If that were the problem, then it would be silly to describe the minds of Gentiles as having ignorance in them. It is impossible to have a negative quality existing in itself. It is like saying a room is full of darkness.

Ignorance can be manifest as a characteristic. Here it is akin to foolishness. Lack of knowledge about God leads to a certain way of thinking that opposes itself to God, perhaps promoting idolatry instead.

The unbelieving Gentiles, then, are ignorant about God, and this leads to alienation from Him and darkness of thinking.

This ignorance is not due to lack of information, but is caused by the hardening of their hearts.

Paul says in Romans 1 that the glory of God is seen in creation, and so when people worship the creation rather than the Creator they are without excuse. That they do this is because their hearts are hardened.

Are they has hardened by their own indifference or by Satan? We cannot say for sure, although it is possibly both.

When we sin it causes a hardening in our hearts. We quieten the conscience that condemns us because we do not want to feel guilty or even admit that we are at fault. While God desires a soft heart, our history of sin makes us hardhearted and progressively more so.

It is only Christ who can rescue us from this cycle of sin, guilt, and ever hardening heart.

So Paul says that those who are not saved (“the Gentiles”) are hardhearted because of their sin. This leads to ignorance and indifference to God, which in turn causes them to be alienated from his life and darken in their understanding.

This self-sustaining process is the reason why we need a Saviour. We could never escape from this fate by ourselves. Praise God that he has provided the way to eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Key points in this verse:

• Unredeemed Gentiles are darkened in their understanding
• Satan has blinded their spiritual eyes
• They are alienated from God and the life He brings so they live zombie-like lives
• Ignorance of of God is due to the hardening of their hearts
• Only Jesus can rescue is from this cycle of sin and death

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:17. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:17

“Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.”

Because of the fact that we as christians are being directed and growing up into the fullness of Christ, we must allow Him to change our way of thinking and living. Paul now goes on to describe the implications of living in the light of Christ.

When religious beliefs remain just beliefs, then our faith becomes ideology or dogma. Faith must impact our lives or it remains theoretical ,and shows that we have not allowed the Holy Spirit to change us.

Paul uses very strong language to introduce his exhortation. The words affirm and testify together mean that a solemn declaration is being made. In English we might make a legally binding declaration with language such as “I affirm and testify,” or “I swear and declare.”

The word translated here as testify is the word from which we get the word martyr. The early church recognised the power of testifying to Christ even to the point of death .

Paul himself can testify to the importance of being changed by Christ. Prior to his conversion he was a strong and violent persecutor of the followers of Jesus. Now, as an apostle, he can testify to the power of the gospel to change a life.

So Christians coming from a Gentile or non-Jewish background, similarly must leave the ways of the pagans.

Paul describes the old Gentile ways as “futility of their minds.” They were deceived by their false religion, and so they lived accordingly. The Gentiles are in darkness; satan has blinded them and they cannot even see that they are deceived.

Wrong thinking leads to wrong actions. Paul goes on to list the ways in which the former Gentiles need to change in order to be more like Christ.

We need to recognise that this is not legalism. Paul does not lay down the law, because he knows from experience that legal ism is as futile as Gentile religions. But he does seek to correct their thinking so that it is productive not futile.

All religion that is not related to Christ is idolatry. These Gentiles who received Christ had previously worshipped a multitude of “gods”, but now needed to follow the way of Christ.

The defining feature of idolatry is that we serve a “god” from a desire to control the “gods”. People worshipped weather “gods” such as Baal because they needed weather suitable for crops, or else they starved.

They gave offerings and performed rituals in the hope that the various “gods” would protect or provide. Apart from that, they could live their lives in anyway they liked.

When we come to Christ, there is nothing we can do to make him more amenable to us. He already did everything necessary to atone for our sins.

This is the reverse of the pagan “gods”. People made offerings in the hope that the “god” would do something good for them. In Christianity, God makes the first move, becoming flesh and dying for us, before we even knew about it.

In paganism, humans act and the “gods” respond. In Christianity, God has acted and we respond to his self offering.

What’s response can we make? Paul tells us in Romans that we must present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

Gentile believers, then, move from a religion of little demands made by a little “god”, to a God who gives all and expects the same response in return .

It is no wonder that Paul tells us we must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking.

Key points in this verse:

• Faith in Christ must result in changed behaviour, or else it is just a theory
• Paul can testify to this because of his own experience of changed life
• The Gentiles (i.e. non-believers) are trapped by the futility of their minds
• Pagan religion demands little and gives little
• God gave everything in order to save us, and we must give Him our whole lives in response

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:16. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:16

“From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

In the previous verse we were told that the church is growing up into Christ, the Head. In this verse the church is growing up “from Him”.

Christ supplies the growth for the church, and He is the objective to which the church is growing .

An analogy would be the growth of a plant. Plants generally grow in the direction of the sun or other light source. At the same time, the sun is the source of energy for the plant which enables the plant to grow.

The church, the whole body, is growing into maturity in Christ, the one who directs and grows the church .

This growth is both in number and in quality of relationship. The church is required to constantly engage in mission, going to the world to share the gospel with others. Out of this mission comes a growth in the number of people who identify with the church.

At the same time, the church is engaged in internal growth or quality growth. This is the process whereby each member and the community as a whole, works at becoming more like Christ .

The whole body grows as “each part does it work.”

Part of this is the ministry gifts of 4:11. As each of these church leaders fulfils the call that Christ has placed on them, they are able to lead the church into greater maturity.

However, for real church health, every part of the body must discover its role, or its position in the household (2:19-22). Each believer needs to find out their part of the mission of the church. This might be such things as works of service, deeds of kindness, sharing the gospel at work, and so on. As each person, each part of the Body of Christ, does their work, the ligaments and joints of the body are strengthened and prepared for greater growth .

In the human body, strength is only possible when the heart delivers blood to the various organs, the lungs deliver oxygen into the blood, the digestive system extracts the various nutrients from food to be delivered to every cell, and so on. The whole body must be healthy and do its work in order for the body to be strong and to grow stronger.

The church also requires every part to do its work in order to grow into Christ .

The whole body is joined and held together by every supporting ligament .

Every congregation needs to develop ways of incorporating its members so that they know that they belong together. This is generally referred to as fellowship or in Greek koinonia.

How can we ensure that a person who is part of the body stays connected? How can we ensure a new person feels welcome?

Every church will have a number of strategies in place to make these things happen. There are both formal and informal processes that take place, and these evolve over time to reflect the size of the church and the culture of its community.

At the heart of this is the desire to grow in fellowship and in care for one another. A church that just operates on Sunday is no church at all .

The body, Paul tells us, build itself up “in love.” Love of God, and love for one another is the supporting ligament that holds the church together and causes it to grow.

The church grows “in love” and builds itself up “in love” because the church is the Body of Christ. We can only do what we do in love because we do it in Christ, and God is love.

We build one another up in love because we love God and want to love his children as we love him.

Love must be the heart of all that the church does. Sometimes we miss this. We become so invested in the programs and in the activities of the church that we forget that these things are secondary. They are there to proclaim and embody the love of God; they are not there for their own sake.

So as we serve one another in love and work in the part that God has placed us, then the church grows in the grace of Christ becoming more like him .

Key points in this verse:

• We are growing from Christ and to Christ
• The church is growing in numbers and in the quality of discipleship
• Every part of the body, not just the leaders, must do its work
• The church must work at encouraging every member to feel that they belong

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:15. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:15

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we shall in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ.”

Instead of being immature children blown away by every wind of doctrine and the schemes of deceitful people, we are to grow up in love and into the Head of the Body, that is Christ.

“Speaking the truth in love” should not be seen as an excuse for gossip or for confrontations based on self-righteousness, as some suppose. It is not the biblical equivalent of “tough love” which gives us an excuse to tell people exactly what we think of them “in love.”

The phrase “in love” occurs repeatedly in Ephesians as a kind of refrain. In fact, Paul uses it in the very next verse when talking about how the body of Christ grows, with every part building itself in love.

We should note that the phrase “in love” has nothing to do with romance. The word for love is again agape which refers to the love that comes from God.

To speak the truth in love means that love is our motivation before we even speak. The love of God should so constrain us that we seek to build one another up always. Mostly this will involve listening and acting for one another. Sometimes, it may involve speaking words of edification, comfort, and exhortation.

Speaking in love means that we use our words to build up, not to tear down. The world is full of destructive and critical words, and the church does not need to add to them.

That does not mean that we never speak the truth. Speaking the truth in love Is In distinct opposition to “the cunning and craftiness of men and in their deceitful scheming” in the previous verse.

There will be times when we have to speak uncomfortable truth to those who are deceitful or deceived. Those who seek to use the church to further their own personal agendas must be called to account. Even then, we must ensure that we do this in love.

Church discipline is a process of drawing an offender back into the grace of Christ. The love of God must always be the dominant feature of such processes.

The requirement to speak the truth in love applies to those who proclaim the gospel and to those who teach the church. It is possible to preach truth in such a way that it leaves the hearers condemned and further from God than before we started. We must preach the truth of God’s word always in the context of the love of God.

As we speak the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ.

Christ is the perfect example of love and truth dwelling together without contradiction. As we learn to both love and proclaim truth we will grow into Him.

This is a truth for individuals, but also for the church. The congregation of Gods people, the ekklesia, models Christ when it lives both truthfully and lovingly. We love one another and speak words of truth to one another. Christ will mature us as we grow in both love and truth.

To grow up into Christ means that we become like Him in all things. This Is what It means to be a follower or a disciple of Jesus. We walk behind Him, we imitate Him, and we become like Him or grow up into Him .

This has to be in “all things”, otherwise we become lopsided. Jesus, the Son of Man, was perfect in all that He did. To follow Jesus means that we imitate Him in all things. Although our natural temperament makes it easier to imitate Jesus in some ways more than others, to be like Jesus we must mature in all things .

The discipline of the Lord, the study of the Word, prayer, and the fellowship of the church, all help to correct us in the parts of our lives that are out of divine order.

The church needs the ministry of the five- fold gifts to nurture this maturity in all things. The offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher bring different perspectives so that the church may grow in all things.

The church has the responsibility to both hear the ministry gifts, and to ensure that others with these gifts are nurtured and matured. In this way it grows in all things into its head, that is Christ.

Key points in this verse:

• Rather than being tossed about by the schemes of deceitful people, we must speak the truth in love
• This is not a licence to say anything we think.
• Love is the dominant motif in the church, even when confronting deceitful and deceived people.
• We must grow up in all things.
• The ministry gifts give us a balanced perspective on growing in Christ.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:14. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:14

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 .

When we, the church, are mature and attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, then we will not be easily moved from our faith in Christ. This is talking about the state of the church rather than specific individuals, although it is obviously as true of individuals as it is of the Body of Christ.

This state of maturity brings with it a measure of strength and stability. The winds and storms of life do not sway an adult as they might do a small child. We have strength, experience and resources that a child left alone would not have.

The church is surrounded by enemies who seek to destroy her. The only way to survive is to grow strong in the Lord, to become mature under the tutelage of the five- fold ministry gifts.

In the Bible waves often refer to the constant stirring and restlessness of humanity without God; in other words, a godless culture.

These waves batter the church. Popular opinion is always opposed to the church, because God’s perspective is opposed to human opinion. Society wants to go its own way in respect to sexuality, abortion, families, marriage, euthanasia, and so on. These are the core issues of any society, and western culture is rapidly accelerating away from biblical values on these and other issues.

There is constant pressure on the church to modify its teachings, to modernise its beliefs. The world wants the church to endorse its sinful desires rather than to condemn them.

When the church is mature, it resists these waves that come against it. It refuses to be pushed around by popular opinion and stands firm. Churches that are not mature find themselves compromising and ultimately overwhelmed by the waves so that they lose their distinctiveness and ultimately die.

The church should be directed by the wind of the Holy Spirit. It can be instead “blown here and there by every wind of teaching.”

There are many false teachers in the church. To be a false teacher does not mean that a teacher is wrong at every point. No, they are often right at most points, but they overemphasise a particular doctrine.

Prosperity teaching is one such doctrine. God wants to prosper us, but that means He wants us to live good and virtuous lives in fellowship with Him. Prosperity in God’s ways comes from living generously and faithfully within the means that He gives us. Prosperity teaching twists this to say that God wants all of his disciples to be wealthy by the world’s standards.

“New” teachings seem to arise several times a year. it can be tiring just keeping up with the latest fashions. These teachings are like competing winds that blow the church in all directions.

God has called the church to be faithful and patient, to walk in humble obedience to him. New teachings might seem exciting, but they distract us from our purpose.

Another way that the church is buffeted about is the cunning and craftines of men in their deceitful scheming.

There are people, both men and women, who seek to use the church as their personal domain of power. Some are pastors, but many are not. They want to use the church as a means to exercise control over other people.

In the 1990’s, there was a movement in the church called “Shepherding.” Under this teaching, people were taught that they were not to make any decision unless it was first submitted to the pastor. This was totally unbiblical and served as a means for pastors to control their parishioners.

Many churches have been destroyed by people insinuating themselves into a position of power and undermining the legitimate authority of the pastor or other ministers.

These crafty and deceitful schemes of people will cause an immature church to fall apart. The need is for those churches to be mature so that they have discernment in seeing the true motives those who would come into steal and destroy .

The encouraging word in this verse is that when we are mature we can withstand these enemies.

Over many years I have seen people try to established churches on poor teaching, or on the sheer strength of their personality. But these things have no foundation. The pastor or church planter has no real relationship with Christ, so how can they build anything for Him?

The church needs to be led by genuine men and women of God, the five-f old ministers placed by God, not by the appointment of human structures.

Key points in this verse

• The church has many enemies who try to overcome it
• We must be mature in the faith to withstand opposition
• False teaching will blow the church in every wrong direction
• We must be wary of the craftinessof people and their deceptive schemes.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:13. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:13

“… 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.”

The ministry or ascension gifts have been given to prepare God’s people 4 works of service and to build up the Body of Christ (v. 12).

The end goal of these gifts is:

1. We all reach unity in the faith
2. We all reach unity in the knowledge of the Son of God.
3. We all become mature.
4. We attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

If anyone believes that the ministry gifts (particularly apostles and prophets) have been done away with, this verse should dispel that notion.

Christ’s desire is that the church should be “a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 6:27). The ministry gifts are a part of this process of the church becoming all that God wants it to be.

The unity in the faith that is God’s heart for the church is not about a denominational structure that involves all Christians under one Pope. This is a unity that understands all christians share the same Saviour. We belong to the same family.

This is organic unity that allows differences in practice, in worship style, and in doctrinal emphasis, but brings a unified approach to ministry, mission, and oversight.

In the past (and in the present, too), the church has allowed doctrine to become a point of division. Denominations and movements have broken away because of convictions about beliefs. These have been understandable, but if “unity in the faith” means anything it must mean that God wants us to belong together even when we disagree.

Unity in the faith happens when congregations share together regardless of denominations. It happens when pastors meet together, pray together, and worship together.

At the local level, unity in the faith means recognising that there is one church in the town, that we are partners together in the gospel, and that God loves all of His people equally. It means that pastors and other ministers recognise the primacy of the local network over denominational loyalties and structures.

Unity in the knowledge of the Son of God is a growth in intimacy with the Saviour. The word for knowledge here suggests a process of growing into certainty.

This is not about doctrines so much as about relationship. As individuals grow in their knowledge of Christ (not knowledge about Christ), they will recognise that same perspective in others.

Those who know Jesus do not make judgements about appearances or denominational affiliation. The important thing is that we love each other because we love the Lord.

As we grow in the Lord, our love for Him increases our love for other believers .

This knowledge means we also know the ways of the Lord Jesus. As disciples, our aim should be to become more like Jesus. How can we do that unless we know him? How can we know him unless we give our lives to him as a living sacrifice? How can we know him unless we take up our cross and follow him?

As we join the fellowship of cross-carrying living sacrifices, we discover that all of our reasons for judging others fall away, and our reasons to encourage others become predominant.

The ministry gifts are to make us mature. There is a process of growth which is often misunderstood in the church.

Some believers think that once you say the prayer, you’ve got to the place of maturity. This is the starting point of discipleship, not the endpoint. Some think the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the goal, but again, this is just a start in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

In our biological development, maturity is a moving goal and is multifaceted. We may marvel at the maturity of a 15 year old, but if she is still the same at 45 years, we may wonder why there are no emotional, social, or physical changes.

We seem to tolerate a very low level of spiritual maturity in the church. Often there is no encouragement to grow in prayer, in the use of spiritual gifts, in knowledge of the Bible and so on. Yet the purpose of the ministry gifts is to bring all believers to this place of maturity.

A mature believer is a person who is becoming increasingly like Jesus. He or she will be a person who has the combination of both love for God and people, together with holiness. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) develops in us the character of Christ, while the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-10) give us the ability to minister as Christ did.

A mature believer is someone who is growing in love for God. A significant portion of their time is spent in prayer, reading scriptures, worship, and service.

The final goal of the ministry gifts is that we all attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. This means that we recognise that Christ is all and that He is in all things. It means that we put Christ at the centre of all we do, of every relationship, of our work, of our family, of our church.

The fullness of Christ is not a measurement of a quantity, but a posture of the heart. In this place, I recognise that I am a child of God, a bond-servant of Christ, and that everything I do is for Him and to Him. I have dedicated my life to Him and now I live only for Him. I have died to myself and I am living to Him.

This does not mean that we are absolved of all the normal duties of living in a community. We still have family duties, but this is for Christ. We still serve in the church, but this is for Christ. We still work, but this is for Christ. We still eat and drink, but all of this is for Christ.

The goal of Christ is that we all move forward together. Not everyone will be at the same place of maturity or unity in faith, so in that sense the work of ministry never finishes.

Key points in this verse:

• Ministry gifts are to bring all the church to maturity which includes unity and knowledge of Christ.
• Unity in the Faith is an organic unity, not a structural unity.
• God wants us to be united in our knowledge of the Son of God.
• Maturity comes as we seek to put the Lord at the centre of all we do.
• The measure of the fullness of Christ mean that Christ is everything to us.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:12. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:12

“… To prepare God’s people for works of ministry so that the Body of Christ may be built-up.”

The ministry gifts have a dual purpose- to equip the saints for ministry, and to build up the church, the Body of Christ.

There is an attitude amongst some Christians that the pastor is responsible for every ministry that happens in the church. As we stated in the previous verse, no one person can contain every ministry gift, let alone do everything that is needed to be done.

Pastors have responsibility for oversight, to give directions and set parameters for ministry in the congregation.

Pastors and the other five-fold ministers are to equip the saints, God’s people, for works of ministry. They are not responsible for doing all the ministry.

The way it should happen is that they first demonstrate the ministry. Then the disciples practice the ministry with supervision. Finally, they are declared to be competent ministers of the gospel .

The rabbinical model was for disciples to literally follow the Rabbi around everyday, observing and sometimes participating in the ministry. This was the model followed by Jesus and the Twelve.

So apostles should mentor future apostles, evangelists should mentor future evangelists, and so on. Because we are meant to be fathers to sons, the desire of the minister should be that the son should rise to greater levels of success in the Lord than he himself did. Any minister who is not seeking to raise up or to equip the saints is falling down on their job.

The expectation is not that every member of the body becomes a five-fold minister. The expectation is that every believer has the opportunity to participate in the ministry of the church and to do the works of ministry .

When this process is happening, the church becomes mature. Every christian should be taught how to share the gospel with unbelievers, how to pray for the sick, how to encourage the downhearted, and how to hear the Lord. These things flow from the hearts of the five fold ministers, and should flow to the hearts of the saints.

The second purpose of the five fold ministry gifts is to build up the Body of Christ.

The church needs strengthening to do its tasks, and the ministers are like coaches showing the body how to develop its gifts and become stronger in Christ. As different parts of the body learn to minister, the body as a whole is built up.

It is built up numerically through the witness of its members under the encouragement of the evangelists.

It is built up in purpose under the grace of the apostles and prophets, and it senses its purpose and direction as people learn their giftedness.

Pastors and teachers keep the body strong and on the right tracks. As the members of the body grow in understanding, they ensure at the whole body stays close to the Lord.

So the church is built up in every way through the correct operation of the ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit .

Key points in this verse:

• The ministry gifts are given to equip the people of God.
• It is not God’s intention for the gifted ones to do all the ministry.
• Mentoring of rising ministers and equipping all the people are the focus of the five-fold ministries
• As God’s people are equipped to do the works of ministry, the whole body is strengthened and built up.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:11. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:11

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.”

Christ gave some people to the church to be in leadership. These gifts are not abilities or facility in the use of a supernatural ability as we see in other lists of spiritual gifts. These particular gifts are the people themselves. God gave some apostles prophets, etc.

The wording of this verse makes it clear that not every believer is included in the list. We cannot all point to one item on the list and say, “That’s my gift.”

It should also be realised that not all of these people are in what might be called “full-time” ministry. Not everyone in full-time ministry doing the work of a pastor, for example, has been called and equipped by God for that role.

These gifts are often called “Ministry Gifts” because they are given for the building up of the church. Often the church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will recognise that some of its members have been especially gifted by Christ for ministry in the local church. There may be a setting apart or ordination ceremony. These people will be given extra responsibilities and opportunities to exercise their gifts.

Although the church has been reluctant at times to recognise these gifts, they have never disappeared. Although parts of the church have belittled or denied their place today, the Bible clearly teachers that the gifts will not cease until the church reaches unity in the faith and maturity in Christ (vs.12-13).

In the light of the above, the church must come to terms with these ministry gifts and order itself in such a way as to develop those who are called to these ministries. Otherwise, we will be condemned to an imperfect and impoverished life as the Body of Christ.

We also need to recognise that these ministry gifts are complimentary. No single person (other than Christ) has been able to contain or to work in all of these gifts. Apostles need the constraining insight of prophets. Evangelists are wonderful at bringing people to the new birth, but they need pastors and teachers to bring the convert to maturity, and so on.

Since the 1500s, the church has gradually been rediscovering these ministry gifts. The Reformation transformed the role of ministers from being priests, that is intermediaries between man and God, to being pastors who encourage congregations in their walk with the Lord. The teachers came to the fore in the 20th century as improved general educational standards and technology such as cassette recorders made it possible for people to absorb more detailed information. Evangelists came to the fore from the 18th century with people such as John Wesley bringing tens of thousands to the Lord. Prophets were rediscovered in the 1970s, apostles in the 1990’s.

The church is in a time of transition away from institution to a much more organic structure in which various gifts, rather than elected officers, prevail.

An apostle is a man (or, less commonly, a woman) who exercises an informal authority over several or many congregations, through the voluntary submission of pastors, teachers, prophets, and evangelists to their oversight.

This is different to a bishop who is appointed to rule over a geographic area within a denominational structure. Apostles are recognised by other ministers as carrying the grace of apostleship. Their network may consist of members of many denominations and others who have no denominational background.

Apostles speak of their authority in terms of fathers and sons. This is a relational authority which seeks to release those under them into the fullness of all the potential that is in them.

It is a relationship of equals rather than of a hierarchy. Both father and son seek to serve one another and enhance each other’s ministry .

The gift of apostleship is only recently being rediscovered in the church. There will no doubt he many missteps before the ministry is properly mature.

The gift of prophet is also in the process of being reestablished, and is not yet mature in its operations. It is interesting that prophecy appears in all three of the major list of gifts in the New Testament.

In this context the ministry gift of prophet refers to a person who is fluent in the operation of the gift of prophecy, and is recognised by the local church has such.

The ministry gift of prophet is analogous to the Old Testament prophets. They hear the word of God and declare it to the people of God.

Prophecy is different from preaching in that it tends to be more spontaneous and more heart directed then head directed. Prophecy is not about foretelling the future, but about speaking God’s desire in the present. It may include warnings about the future, but it’s emphasis is on what God is saying to us now.

Prophecy is often seen as most authentic when it is concerned with edifying, exhorting and comforting the people of God (1 Corinthians 14:3).

All prophecy should be evaluated by the church, especially to ensure that it is aligned with Scripture.

Evangelists work outside the boundaries of the faith community to bring unbelievers to faith in Christ. Their role can be seen as analogous to spiritual midwives. After proclaiming the good news, their responsibility is to bring new believers into the fellowship to be discipled by the Body, under the oversight of the pastor.

Although some evangelists are itinerant, the majority support the local church, and submit themselves to the church. Even itinerant evangelists must be under the oversight of an apostle and remain connected to a congregation. This makes them personally accountable, but also strengthens their ministry.

Pastors are responsible for the oversight and the spiritual growth of the congregation. They have God’s authority to preach and to proclaim His Word. They also have responsibility to ensure that those who seek to undermine or destroy the church are exposed and removed. For this latter role the support of prophets and apostles indispensable.

Pastors are also responsible for nurturing, encouraging, and exhorting the members of their church to live faithfully as followers of Christ. Traditionally this role was achieved through visitations and such, but these days is as likely to be done through small groups and other decentralised ministry strategies .

Finally, teachers are responsible for studying the Scriptures and teaching the members of the church the doctrines of the Bible. Their particular strength is often to develop structures of faith (theology) and finding new insights by bringing complimentary scriptures together.

Because there is overlap between the gifts of pastor and teacher, these gifts are sometimes combined, that is, pastor/ teacher. The Greek of this verse certainly allows that interpretation. .

These five gifts, then, are intended to bring the church to maturity and strength. Although they are very different in their focus, these gifts actually work together as pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, interlocking to bring unity to the body.

Key points in this verse

• Christ has given certain people as ministry gifts to the church.
• These gifts are by God’s grace not by appointment of the church
• In the past, the church has been reluctant or unable to see these gifts. Some are only now being rediscovered by the church.
• The five gifts are meant to work together to make the church strong and to raise believers to maturity in Christ
• All of the gifts are meant to be in submission to one another and to the church
• Scripture is the ultimate test of the validity of all of these gifts