And gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ….

Ephesians 4:11-12

According to Paul, Christ has given gifts to the church.  He has done so for ‘the edifying (or building up) of the body of Christ.’  In the verse which precedes our text for today, Paul delineates some of these gifts as, ‘apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.’  While these people are not the only gifts Christ gives to His Body, they are useful to build up His people, ‘for the work of the ministry.’  The conclusion to which this leads us is that it is primarily the people of God who are actually carrying out the ministry.  The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers’ are the means to the end of building up the people of God to do ‘the work of the ministry.’  These servants are the means, not the end.  This brings into perspective the practical carrying out of Christ building His Church of people and by people.  We value those whom Christ has given to the Church, and can do so without worshiping them.  The great template for the life and ministry of these is Christ Himself Who said, ‘I am among you as one who serves.’  The ‘gifts’ prove their value as they imitate Christ and point others to Christ.  Therein lies their usefulness for the ‘equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry.’  Let us evaluate all leadership by this standard.  All the work of the Church is to make much of Christ.

Our God and Father,
we rejoice that You have given us Christ,
Who has given unto us gifts to build us up in the faith.
We praise You,
that being built up ourselves,
You will enable us to build up others.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Ephesians 4:7

All the grace we receive comes from God.  There is what we call ‘common grace,’ which is what we observe when ‘the rain falls upon the just and the unjust.’  There is the particular grace which brings souls unto salvation.  There is also the grace which Christ extends unto His Body, who are His redeemed people, to perform the functions which He intends for them.  These functions require certain gifts and abilities which Christ gives to us.  There are no useless organs in the Body of Christ.  There are no useless members of the Church.  Our role may be apparently great or small.  We may have gifts that which others easily recognize or gifts which are less obvious.  Yet all the people of God receive from Christ ‘grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.’  Paul will go on in verse 11 and following, to say much more about these gifts.  For the moment, let us dwell upon the fact that if God ‘chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world’ with all that has followed with regard to salvation, that He must also have a purpose for us to fulfill as members of the Body of Christ.  Christ imparts to us the gift and gives us the grace to exercise it wherever and whenever He chooses for His Glory and for the good of His people.

Our Good and Generous God,
we rejoice at the good things which You have given us.
We praise You that we may use these gifts,
for Your honor and for the glory of Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Ephesians 4:6

Paul is declaring the great unity of the people of God.  He has spoken of the one Body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and God.  He now goes on to further expound what it means for there to be ‘one God.’   He has mentioned the other two Members of the Trinity already.  Now he turns to God, Who he describes as, ‘the Father of all.’  Is God indeed ‘the Father of all’ in the sense that He is the Father of each and every person who has ever lived?  If that is so, what are we to make of Christ’s statement to His enemies, when He said, ‘you are of your father, the devil?’  If we accept Christ’s statement, then God cannot be the Father of each and every person who has ever lived.  He can, however, be the Father of all who are members of the ‘one body,’ have the ‘one Spirit,’ the ‘one hope,’ the ‘one Lord,’ the ‘one faith,’ and the ‘one baptism.’  If we consider these things together, we can clearly see that this ‘God and Father,’ can be ‘above all, and through all, and in you all.’  It is this Father, Who has sent His Only Begotten Son to redeem us, and His Holy Spirit to apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ.  This is the Father Who has unified us as the people of God.  Therefore He ‘is above all, and through all, and in you all.’

O God and Father of all,
we rejoice that You have united us together in Christ.
We praise You that You will continue to gather together,
all whom You have chosen in Christ,
that they all may be one.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Ephesians 4:6

‘There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.’  The Scripture teaches us that there is one God.  It also teaches us that this one God exists in three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  At various times in Scripture we see them in the same context, but acting in different capacities in their relation to one another.  Perhaps the best example is the baptism of Christ in Matthew 3:16 & 17 where we read, ‘And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’  Christianity is firmly monotheistic, and also firmly Trinitarian.  We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons.  As Paul is writing to the Ephesians, he has been making much of Christ, while giving to the Father and the Spirit what they are due.  Here, Paul is demonstrating the unity of the people of God by declaring that there is ‘One God.’  For the purpose of his emphasis, he states that along with the ‘One Spirit’ and the ‘One Lord’, who is Christ, there is also, ‘One God and Father of all.’  The unity that we have with other believers proceeds upon the basis that there is unity in the Godhead.  There are great mysteries which go along with this truth.  For today, let us spend some time meditating on what God has revealed of Himself as the ‘One God.’

Our Glorious Triune God,
we rejoice at the great unity which exists between
Your three Holy Persons.
We praise You that You have united us to Yourself
by the work of Christ, through the Holy Spirit,
to make us One with You.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

One Lord, one faith, one baptism….

Ephesians 4:5

Paul declares that there is ‘one baptism.’  Baptism as a rite, ordinance, or sacrament has been a subject of discussion among believers for centuries.  In the context of this passage, where Paul is demonstrating the true unity of the redeemed, it is very unlikely that he is referring to the practice of baptism at all.  What Paul is referencing is our baptism into Christ by the Holy Spirit.  This is most sensible when we consider Paul’s statement in I Corinthians 12:13 where he remarks, ‘For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.’  The language he uses is quite similar to the language of the passage we have been considering here in Ephesians.  We may differ widely with regard to the modes, subjects, and significance of the rite of baptism.  What unifies us as believers in Christ is that the Holy Spirit has baptized us into one Body, the Body of Christ, the redeemed of all ages.  Therefore, when we consider this unity of which Paul is speaking, we can speak of all of the people of God as having received this ‘one baptism.’  Upon that we can agree.  Because the ‘one Spirit’ has baptized us into ‘one body’ we have true unity in Christ.

O God of Grace and Glory,
we rejoice in the blessed workings of Your Holy Spirit.
We praise You that He has baptized us into the Body of Christ,
that we all may be one.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning