Eph 4:11 And He Himself appointed some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers,

Eph 4:12 in order fully to equip His people for the work of serving--for the building up of Christ's body--

Eph 4:13 till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Eph 4:14 So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men's cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead.

Eph 4:15 But we shall lovingly hold to the truth, and shall in all respects grow up into union with Him who is our Head, even Christ.

Eph 4:16 Dependent on Him, the whole body--its various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another-- grows by the aid of every contributory link, with power proportioned to the need of each individual part, so as to build itself up in a spirit of love.

1. The Fully Equipping of God’s people for the Work of serving. v.12

The idea here is that these Five-five Ministries equip others to do the work of serving God. They are not significant in themselves unless they are seeing others raised up under them who can do the work. Every Apostle needs a Timothy and every Pastor an understudy.

The Body of Christ only functions to its full capacity when all the individual parts are working properly and fulfilling their proper function.

She needs more than a wheel chair!

For the perfecting of God’s people [equipping](πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν)

Only here in the New Testament. In classical Greek of refitting a ship or setting a bone. The preposition for denotes the ultimate purpose. Ministering and building are means to this end. Hence its emphatic position in the sentence. For perfecting, see on mending, Mat_4:21; see on perfected, Mat_21:16; see on Luk_6:40; see on 1Pe_5:10. Compare 1Co_1:10; Heb_13:21. The radical idea of adjustment is brought out in Eph_4:13.

The Example Act 6:3 Therefore, brethren, pick out from among yourselves seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them to undertake this duty.

Act 6:4 But, as for us, we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the delivery of the Message."

the distr

The work of serving with the distribution of food for the widows was for deacons not the Apostles.

C.H. Spurgeon No perfection without pains

“However prodigious may be the gifts of nature to her elect, they can only be developed and brought to their extreme perfection by labour and study.” Think of Michael Angelo working for a week without taking off his clothes, and Handel hollowing out every key of his harpsichord, like a spoon, by incessant practice. Gentlemen, after this, never talk of difficulty or weariness. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

2. For the Building up of the Body of Christ. v.12b

Building Up [Edifying] (οἰκοδομὴν)

Rev., building up. See on Act_20:32. Notice the combination of perfecting and building. Building defines the nature of the work of ministry, and perfecting comes through a process.

edifying oikodomē Thayer Definition:

1) (the act of) building, building up

2) metaphorically edifying, edification

2a) the act of one who promotes another’s growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, holiness [and Ministry of serving]

3. Edification [For Building up] until we all come to Oneness in Faith.

v.12b for the building up of Christ's body-- Eph 4:13 till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith.

Till we all come or arrive - Until all Christians arrive at a state of complete unity, and to entire perfection.Barnes

In the unity or oneness of the faith - Margin, into. The meaning is, until we all hold the same truths, and have the same confidence in the Son of God;Barnes [ see Joh_17:21-23. ]

That they all may be one,.... Among themselves. This may regard their unity in faith, and in the knowledge of Christ; for there is but one faith which all truly experienced souls agree in: they are converted by the same Spirit, and have the same work of grace wrought in them; and though they have not the same degree of light, and measure of spiritual knowledge, yet they agree in the main point of the Gospel, salvation alone by the Lord Jesus Christ; and such an agreement in the doctrine of faith, and the grand articles of it, respecting the person and offices of Christ, is absolutely necessary to their comfortably walking together in church fellowship, and the more honourable carrying on the worship of God together; J. Gill

The Purpose of Edification by the Ministries in the Church is Unity in the faith.

4. Eph 4:13 till we all of us arrive at oneness …... in the knowledge of the Son of God,

We are to come to a FULL KNOWLEDGE of the SON of GOD

Knowledge G1922 ἐπίγνωσις epignōsis Thayer Definition: 1) precise and correct knowledge

What a purpose for the Ministries in the Church! That the Saints may have a Full Knowledge of who Jesus is, as the Son of God. and what He has done for us

Php 3:9 not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the Law, but that which arises from faith in Christ--the righteousness which comes from God through faith.

Php 3:10 I long to know Christ and the power which is in His resurrection, and to share in His sufferings and die even as He died;

Php 3:11 in the hope that I may attain to the resurrection from among the dead.

“Christians are not to be informed merely on different sections of truth and erring through defective information on other points, but they are to be characterized by the completeness and harmony of their ideas of the power, work, history, and glory of the Son of God” (Eadie). See the Person of Christ Vols1-4 by Brash Bonsall.

5. That Christians might arrive at Maturity and the Stature of full-grown Men [and Women] in Christ. v.13b

Maturity in Christ of all believers is the Purpose for Ministry.

Why is their so much immaturity and lack of Strong Faith in Christ. Why are so many Christians acting like ‘little kids’ squabbling and back-biting and criticising each other. It is a lack of knowing who Christ is, and what He has done for us. A full understanding of what it means to be ‘in Christ’.

1Jn 3:1 See what marvellous love the Father has bestowed upon us--that we should be called God's children: and that is what we are. For this reason the world does not recognize us--because it has not known Him.

1Jn 3:2 Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been fully revealed. We know that if Christ re-appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.

1Jn 4:16 And, as for us, we know the love which God has for us, and we confide in it. God is love, and he who continues to love continues in union with God, and God continues in union with him.

1Jn 4:17 Our love will be manifested in all its perfection by our having complete confidence on the day of the Judgement; because just what He is, we also are in the world.

Full Maturity.

Heb 5:13 By people who live on milk I mean those who are imperfectly acquainted with the teaching concerning righteousness.

Heb 5:14 Such persons are mere babes. But solid food is for adults--that is, for those who through constant practice have their spiritual faculties carefully trained to distinguish good from evil.

1Co 14:20 Brethren, do not prove yourselves to be children in your minds. As regards evil, indeed, be utter babes, but as regards your minds prove yourselves to be men of ripe years.

Be not children in mind (mē paidia ginesthe tais phresin). “Cease becoming children in your intellects,” as some of them evidently were. Cf. Heb_5:11-14 for a like complaint of intellectual dulness for being old babies.

In malice be ye babes (tēi kakiāi nēpiazete).

But in Understanding Be men (teleioi ginesthe). Keep on becoming adults in your minds. A noble and a needed command, pertinent today.RWP

- the stature of full-grown men in Christ.WNT

[to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ESV]

Unto the measure of the stature (eis metron hēlikias). So apparently hēlikia here as in Luk_2:52, not age (Joh_9:21). Boys rejoice in gaining the height of a man. But Paul adds to this idea “the

fulness of Christ” (tou plērōmatos tou Christou), like “the fulness of God” in Eph_3:19. And yet some actually profess to be “perfect” with a standard like this to measure by! No pastor has finished his work when the sheep fall so far short of the goal.RWP

stature, etc. — The standard of spiritual “stature” is “the fullness of Christ,” that is, which Christ has (Eph_1:23; Eph_3:19; compare Gal_4:19); that the body should be worthy of the Head, the perfect Christ.JFB

6. So that we shall no longer be Babes in Christ

Translate, “To the end that”; the aim of the bestowal of gifts stated negatively, as in Eph_4:13 it is stated positively.

tossed to and fro — inwardly, even without wind; like billows of the sea. So the Greek. Compare Jam_1:6.

carried about — with every wind from without.

doctrine — “teaching.” The various teachings are the “winds” which keep them tossed on a sea of doubts (Heb_13:9; compare Mat_11:7).

by — Greek, “in”; expressing “the evil atmosphere in which the varying currents of doctrine exert their force” [Ellicott].

sleight —[cleveness] [literally, “dice playing.”]The player frames his throws of the dice so that the numbers may turn up which best suit his purpose.

of men — contrasted with Christ (Eph_4:13).

and — Greek, “in.”

cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive — [unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead]Translate as Greek, “craftiness tending to the methodized system of deceit” (“the schemes of error”) [Alford]. Bengel takes “deceit,” or “error,” to stand for “the parent of error,” Satan (compare Eph_6:11); referring to his concealed mode of acting.

7. So as as to Lovingly hold to the truth

Eph 4:15 But we shall lovingly hold to the truth, and shall in all respects grow up into union with Him who is our Head, even Christ.

Notes: Hold to the Truth [ἀληθεύω] alētheuō

Thayer Definition: 1) to speak or tell the truth 1a) to teach the truth 1b) to profess the truth

Speaking the truth in love. Truth is never to give way to false doctrine, but it must be spoken in love. Some cling to the truth tenaciously, but forget to speak it in love.

May grow up. This continues the characteristics of those "who are no longer children." They should grow up into him in all things. In all their growth there should be a growth of Christ's traits, a growth into his likeness. In all their growth there should be a growth of Christ's traits, a growth into his likeness.

From whom. The Head of the body, the church. He is the source of all life, power and growth in the body.

Great Doctrines of the Christian Faith

Saturday, 3 May 2014

Ecclesiology : The Purpose of the Five-Fold Ministries of Eph 4:11