March 5, 2023
Morning Service

Through the first three chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian Church, he has led us through what we have called our “spiritual inventory.”  He has not revealed anything that is really new to us, but has just walked us through an inventory of the spiritual blessings God has given to those of us who have committed to follow Him.  He reminded us that He chose us, Jesus paid for our salvation in full, we are given a knowledge of the future and a hope that it is worth looking forward to.  God Himself, through the Spirit, has now come to dwell within each of us to guide, empower and seal us as belonging to Him.  Paul reminded us also that salvation is offered to us, not because we deserve it, but through God’s grace-unmerited favor towards us.  He also emphasized the point of unity.  All believers are given the same Spirit and belong to the same family; the church which is the Bride of Christ.  Together we walk this journey following the One who gave His all for us and we are “Better Together!”  Last week Paul prayed for us to be “strengthened with might through the Holy Spirit in the inner man.”  He showed us that God will change us from the inside out and will use our comprehension of the width, depth, length and height of God’s love for us (even though it is unmeasurable) to motivate us in our daily lives to remain faithful.  As we begin chapter 4, it begins with the word “therefore” so Paul is referring back to all of this to make a point of what the goal of taking a spiritual inventory changes for us.  He is saying, “because God has blessed us so richly with all these many blessings we don’t deserve, here is the attitude in which we should live our life for Him.”  This of course is done because of our salvation, not to earn it.

Eph. 4:1-3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, (2) with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, (3) endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

            First notice that all of this qualities Paul is asking us to live up to are all things that Jesus modeled perfectly.  “Walking worthy of our calling with lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering, bearing with each other in love, and striving to keep the unity of the Spirit.”  That certainly describes the life we see Jesus live out in the four gospels.  Again “God loves us just as we are, but He refuses to leave us that way as He desires us to be more like Jesus.”  In trying to “walk worthy of our calling” we do our best to imitate Jesus.

 Secondly notice that these are attitudes that do not come easy to us.  Our society teaches us that life is all about “me” and going after the things that “I” want and desire.  Our spiritual inventory brings us to a totally opposite conclusion.  By putting God first, we develop the qualities of humility, longsuffering, compassion, and a desire to stay unified by following the guidance of the Spirit in our lives.  It is not about me or all that I can be; it is about Jesus and becoming all He desires me to become.  It is a yielding of my will for my life to God’s will for my life; just as Jesus did in the Garden.  We choose to follow even when it is difficult or when we don’t understand where He is leading us.  “Walking worthy of our calling” sometimes means following Jesus down paths that are dark and difficult that we would not choose.

 Finally notice that these attitudes mainly deal with our interaction with others.  The journey of life, as we have found, it not designed to be walked alone but with each other and in case you did not notice many that we journey with are not perfect.  We all have our issues, hang-ups, and faults.  In order to do life together we are commanded to be patient, forgiving, and understanding of each other’s issues.  We learn that love overcomes all obstacles. “Walking worthy of you calling” means loving those on the journey with us.  This is vital as Paul continues again emphasizing unity as he sounds like he is from Southern Indiana.

Eph. 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; (5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism; (6) one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

            All of these aspects of our journey in following Jesus draw us together.  Notice all the things we share in common; one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism and one God.  Instead of following suit with our society to magnify the many ways we are different and diverse, Paul magnifies the things we have in common as believers.  All of these things unify us, not divide us as the family of God.  Paul also places an emphasis on the status of God as He is “above all, through all and in you all.”  All things in existence run through His power and we are privileged to be part of that as He dwells within us!  Just because we share all these things in common, does not mean we are all robots designed the same.  Each of us have our own unique story that brought us here this morning.  Each of us has been given different gifts that help us as the body of Christ to function better.  Notice as Paul addresses that now.

 

Eph. 4:7-10But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.  (8)  Therefore He says: "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."  (9) (Now this, "HE ASCENDED"—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?  (10)  He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)  

            Paul here quotes Psalms 68:18 which pictures Jesus as a conquering hero.  Through His victory upon the cross, He has returned with gifts for each of us to be used to edify His church.  That brings us to the point of asking four questions that he answers very quickly and clearly for us.

 

            What are these gifts?

Eph. 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

This is called the “five-fold ministry” of the church.  God’s gift to the church to establish it, maintain it, and create growth within it.  These are the gifts that God has given the authority to lead His church.

 

            For what purpose are these gifts given?

Eph. 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

            God has given the church these tools, not to do all the work themselves, but to equip the saints (you) to do “the work of ministry and edify the church.”  These tools prepare, train, and encourage you to put your faith to action in areas that you are gifted in for the edifying (lifting up) of the entire body.

 

            How long will we need these gifts?

Eph. 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

            Our work is far from done as we certainly have not reached this point yet where “ALL come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.”  Nor have we reached the goal of each becoming “a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”  If you think you are doing great things, compare yourself to the “stature of the fullness of Christ” and you will quickly realize there is still room to grow and mature in your spiritual life.  There is still work to be done.

 

            What results should we expect from these gifts?

Eph. 4:14-16 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  (15)  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—  (16)  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

            The fivefold ministry equips us for ministry by establishing a strong foundation for us to stand on.  A foundation that does not waver with “every wind of doctrine” but acts like an anchor to hold us firmly in the truth and keep us from being deceived.  The fivefold ministry encourages growth in our lives and when that is true of us and those around us we edify each other.  Our love for God and each other pushes us to new levels of commitment and growth with each of us no longer being fans in the stands, but participants upon the field.  We are rolling up our sleeves and asking God, “What can I do?”  We worship, work, and serve God together bring glory to God and building up each other.  This is God’s plan for His church.

 Are you allowing the Spirit to guide you to spiritual growth and to get busy within the church using your gifts to make us better?

Each of us should have the mindset as we come to church to be ready to receive something from God, but also to give something of ourselves in return.  Romans tells us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God as a spiritual act of worship towards Him.” (Rom. 12:1).  Allow God to use the tools of the fivefold ministry to equip and enable you to “walk worthy of your calling” by both the receiving of the Word and the giving or yourself.