Ephesians 4.11-16 (3)
Pray Psalm 48.1-3.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
Beautiful in elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
God is in her palaces;
He is known as her refuge.
Sing Psalm 48.1-3.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Great is God, now greatly praise Him in the city of the LORD!
Holy she, His lovely mountain, great and glorious by His Word!
God her King is great within her, He, her Stronghold ever sure!
He, her Stronghold ever sure!
Read Ephesians 4.11-16; meditate on verse 11.
Meditate on “pastors and teachers”.
Preparation
1. What gifts has Jesus given to His Church?
2. With which of these are you most familiar?
Meditation
This verse continues the thought begun in verse 8, where we are told that the ascended Christ “gave gifts to men.” A textual note is in order here. Paul borrowed his idea in verse 8 from Psalm 68.18. However, Paul, under the Spirit’s leading. changed the wording of that psalm to fit the new circumstances of the Kingdom of God. In Psalm 68, men were bringing gifts to God, presumably the gifts that would be used to build the temple. Here, in Ephesians 4.8, Jesus is giving gifts to men for the same reason: to build the temple which is His Church. Those gifts come to us with the Holy Spirit, Who unpacks them in us.
The specific gifts mentioned in verse 11 are those which are given to the Church, the body of Christ. In our day, we may think of apostles as those specifically sent out to increase the Church by work in some distant field. Prophets are those who have the gift of interpreting God’s will into specific situations or needs (cf. Acts 21.10-14). This gift can exist at various levels in the Church (cf. Acts 2.17). Evangelists are those whose ministry benefits the Church wherever they serve or go. The gift of pastor and teacher—one single gift encompassed in two ideas—is that with which we are most familiar.
Most churches support the work of some “apostles”. Prophetic voices exist today, but we must always check their prophetic utterances against the Word of God. We welcome the work of evangelists, especially when they are in our community. But it’s the gift (office might be better) of pastor/teacher we are most affected by. Our pastors are a gift from God. We must pray for them, support their work, encourage them as they lead and shepherd us, but search everything they teach or do with the lens of God’s Word.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor/teacher are all specialized gifts given so specific people—on this we all agree. But in another way, we can see that as a parent, one might employ all those gifts and callings within the sphere of the home. Or if you are the only Christian at your workplace, again, these hats might all have to be worn by you in one way or another.
Paul has also made a distinction within this chapter on personal sanctification and being specially tasked and equipped for a particular role within the church setting. All are called to sanctification; but not all bear the added responsibility for these other roles.
God wants all hearts and lives to grow to be more like His dear Son.
No one is exempt from this calling.
Also, it is incumbent upon the leadership of the local church, and the larger body, to encourage those who have these gifts to grow into them more and more.
Jehoash the king said to the priests, “All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the LORD—each man’s census money, each man’s assessment money—and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the LORD, let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found” (2 Kgs. 12.4, 5).
That missive was given in the seventh year of his reign.
“Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple” (2 Kgs. 12.6). This is wrong for so many reasons. And why were we not shocked to read that?
Anyway, the priests squandered the gifts/money that was brought to them, and they never fixed the dilapidation. Sadly, that scenario seems to replay itself in many ways in the church today.
We see this happening, knowing there is much dilapidation in the world and the church.
So, it is everyone’s calling to reclaim God’s creation for good, and to be His show of grace to one and all.
It is an egregious affront to God when His people, His vessels are wasted and not used in the church due to…whatever, you can fill in the blank. It is the wise pastor/teacher who trains up/disciples the men in his church to fulfill these special roles and responsibilities in their niche. “For many are called, but few chosen” (Matt. 20.16). (Jesus was talking about something entirely different, but His words seem to fit here as well.)
These callings can be worked into—grown into. Thus seminaries, and other forms of education are used to learn new skills and hone old ones. Also, much training can take place right within the area one lives—at church, online, correspondence courses, etc.
The Holy Spirit is a willing guide, teacher, and leader.
The Word of God is full of the wisdom of God—living and powerful (Heb. 4.12).
All the works of the Holy Spirit in our lives, our sanctification and additional work, still boils down to this:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2.8-10).
Every person, every part of the body, is a gift to the church.
Reflection
1. How have you determined what your gifts and calling are?
2. What can you do to develop your gifts to higher and more effective uses?
3. Are there gifts for ministry you would like to exercise? Who could help you in this?
He therefore reminds them, that the gifts bestowed on individuals are intended, not to be held for their personal and separate interests, but to be employed for the benefit of the whole. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Ephesians 4.11
Pray Psalm 42.4-11.
Thank God for the many gifts He has lavished upon your church. Call on Him to stir up those gifts in you and your fellow church members, so His beauty and power can be seen to be at work in your church.Sing Psalm 48.9-14.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
For Your grace and lovingkindness we proclaim Your matchless worth!
As Your Name is, great and boundless, let Your praise fill all the earth.
Let Your people sing rejoicing for the judgment of Your truth;
for the judgment of Your truth.
Walk about the blessèd city, see her beauty, see her power.
Count her ramparts, filled with glory, look on every mighty tower.
Tell her glory to the nations: God will guide her evermore;
God will guide her evermore!
T. M. and Susie Moore
Want to learn more about growing stronger in your soul? Check out our ReVision series, “Strong Souls”. Click here to download all the installments in this important study.
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we continue looking at what the Scriptures say about justice. Our Read Moore podcast considers three brief books that could change your life, beginning with The Gospel of the Kingdom. Our Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click hereto see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
