How to Live Worthy with the Church’s Spiritual Gifts

Outline

I. Recognize Jesus’s Kindness and Power to Give a Variety of Gifts to His Church (v.7-10)

A. Each one gets to experience His grace

Ephesians 4:7 - But to each one of us grace was given…

B. According to the measure of Christ’s gift

Ephesians 4:7 - But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

C. Your gift is a victory prize from Jesus

Ephesians 4:8 - Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.”

Ephesians 4:9-10 - Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.

II. Deploy Your Gift in the Work of Service for Building Up the Body (v.7-13)

A. Considering the benefit of different gifts

Ephesians 4:11-12 - And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.

B. Knowing the church still has room to grow from the use of your gifts

Ephesians 4:13 - …until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

i. Attaining unity of the faith

ii. Growing in knowledge of the Son of God

iii. Maturing more fully in Christlikeness

We’ve been working our way through the book of Ephesians this year. As of 2 weeks ago we have made it halfway through book. The focus this year has been on Building on Our Heritage.

• Ephesians has been a perfect book to help us do that because the first 3 chapters are all about our identity in Christ and really unpacking what the gospel.

• So chapters 1–3 have helped us make sure that we remain appropriately rooted and grounded with our past...

• That is necessary individually as well corporately.

• If we forget the past, or as we often do we misremember the past that has consequences in the present and moving forward.

So as Christians, if we start to remember the days before being a Christian in positive ways...the days of being dead in our trespasses as something to be nostalgic over...

• We risk being like the Israelites who after being led out of slavery in Egypt longed for the food they had in Egypt so much that they multiple times were ready to go back to being slaves!

We certainly don’t want that to be true of any of us...and we certainly don’t want to corporately forget our church’s heritage either, which could cause us to make decisions today and moving forward that would lead us away from the Lord’s blessing and into his discipline.

It’s on the basis of that solid foundation of our identity in Christ and the gospel that the last half of Ephesians moves into the very practical emphasis of how do you move forward and live in light of that. That’s why we’ve titled the subseries in Ephesians 4…Living Worthy of Our Gospel Heritage

Pastor Kjaer spoke on 2 weeks ago on Striving for Unity out Eph. 4:1-6. This morning we are focusing on vv.7–13 but we’ll begin reading at Eph. 4:1...

[Read Ephesians 4:1-13]

I. How to Live Worthy with the Church’s Spiritual Gifts

Recognize Jesus’s kindness and power to give a variety of gifts to his church (v.7-10)

The theme of unity has been a dominant theme in the book of Ephesians up to this point.

Ephesians 1:10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

‘Summing up’ has meaning of “to unite” as the ESV translates that...or the NIV instead of ‘summing up’ says “to bring unity to all things.”

And this unity or summing up of everything it comes in Christ.

Ephesians 2 unpacks the unity that comes to the Jews and the Gentiles in Jesus Christ.

• V.14–16 of chapter 2 says that he has made peace, and has made the two into one, and that they have been reconciled into one body...again emphasizing the unity that the gospel brings.

• V.18 of chapter 2 says, ‘we are members of the same household.’

• Chapter 3:6 summarizes succinctly what chapter 2 unpacked...that Gentiles and Jews are ‘members of the same body.’

• And then of course what we just read in 4:1–6, the theme of unity dominates those verses.

The emphasis on unity is obvious in vv.4–6 where Paul says

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father...

This emphasis also comes up in the text we’re focusing on today, but before we get to the more explicit part in the text that talks of unity, the text focuses on the individual and the diversity of gifts that are present within the SINGULAR body of Christ.

John MacArthur comments on this passage saying...

“Unity is not uniformity and is perfectly consistent with diversity of gifts.” John F. MacArthur Jr., Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 134.

Now depending on your particular bent and upbringing you might need to be reminded that unity is not uniformity. So unity doesn’t mean everyone dresses the same, speaks exactly the same, likes the exact same style of music and a host of other things.

But some might need to be reminded that diversity at the expense of unity isn’t what Scripture encourages either.

Before the morning is out, this text will have put up guard rails on both sides so that we don’t go to the ditch of uniformity or to the ditch of diversity without unity.

But first, this text focus on the personal and individual kindness of Jesus Christ to everyone. His persona and individual kindness is expressed in each one getting to experience his grace.

A. Each one gets to experience his grace.

v. 7 – But to each one of us grace was given…

As we just saw in vv.4–6 of chapter 4, the repeated word of “ONE” communicates the theme of unity. Here the same word “ONE” is emphasized not to highlight unity but to highlight individual difference and diversity.

• The grace that is given to each of us in this text is not talking about the saving grace of Ephesians 2:8–9, where we are told we are saved by grace through faith and not by works so that no one can boast..

That grace--the grace of salvation, is the SAME grace that everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation receives. That grace brings with it the complete forgiveness of sins, the declaration of being made righteous, the gift of the in dwelling Holy Spirit and the promise of eternal life in heaven. Everyone in Christ partakes of that SAME SAVING GRACE!

The grace that is mentioned here in v.7 is a specific grace that is given uniquely to each believer. The emphasis on “each one” really highlights the personal focus of Christ on his children.

“God’s gracious relation to “all” is also a personal relation to each one (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7, 11) and a personal ministry through each one.” John F. MacArthur Jr., Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 134.

The emphasis on “each one” experiencing God’s grace by receiving personal gifts from the Lord is important for where this text is going. But before we get there, I want to just point the NT consistency on this point and emphasis that every single believer receives special grace from the Lord, which scripture describes as gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 – Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Peter 4:10 – As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Romans 12:6 – Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly

Now, if you’ve been a member of our church for a while then this is certainly nothing new. In fact, last summer we did a series on Spiritual gifts. So if this isn’t new praise the Lord.

• But I want to encourage you to really slow down and let this truth sink in...Jesus has intentionally, personally and graciously given you gifts.

• I think in culture where a new cell phone model comes out every 6 months, and where amazon’s delivery speed has gone from 2 days, to 1 day, to same day, and soon probably to even delivering things before you purchase them!

• We really do live in a culture were we are so inundated with new things...that often times we can’t remember what we got for Christmas last year...or our birthday...

• And often we can’t remember because we are on to the next model...the next thing...something new...

• I hope we can recognize how shallow and cheap those gifts are...

Jesus didn’t give us short-term gifts that are going to wear out or become obsolete overtime...he personally, thoughtfully, intentionally has graciously given each of us gifts.

I hope that encourages you to personally praise the Lord, but I also hope that the fact that God has personally and individually gifted others actually makes you curious to get to know God’s people...your brothers and sisters!

• Please tell me that if you’re at a birthday party, or baby shower, or any place where gifts are being given, you want to know what they received.

• Friends...if we do that for gifts that are going to wear out and become obsolete...or often even gifts that will never be used!

• I sure hope we would take a real interest and curiosity in how Christ has personally gifted our brothers and sisters in Christ, and that should become and opportunity to encourage that person and to thank the Lord for them.

And if you go back to the beginning of the year...Pastor Viars encouraged all of us to make sure we don’t take one another for granted. I’m strongly suggesting that the belief that God personally and individually gifts EACH ONE of us, is a strong reason to give thanks for one another and to appreciate each other.

The verse goes on to say we experience his grace...

B. According to the measure of Christ’s gift.

v. 7 – But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift

The emphasis here is 1) that Christ is the one who gives the gift. And 2) that he measures or portions out the specific gifts to his children.

I hope you can hear in the word “measured” that Jesus is careful...not careful in a stingy, miserly sense, where he is measuring in order to make sure that he gives as little as possible and not a pinch more.

• Think of measured in the careful sense of making a soufflé...quick note...I’ve never made a souffle...and maybe I’ve eaten one I’m not sure...I just have gotten the sense that they are challenging to make. So if this analogy doesn’t work...please change it to what works and I hope you’ll forgive me I’m a pastor not a chef!

• But in making something challenging like a souffle I don’t think you can just be a willy nilly with your measures and oven temperatures and bake times and expect it to work!

Christ is careful in his measure to you so that the gift is perfectly tailored and fits you perfectly.

So that’s the point of “according to the measure of Christ.”

The emphasis on “Christ’s gift” in v.7 particularly emphasizes the “freeness” of the gift to us.

• There are other words that Scripture uses to describes the spiritual gifts that are given...

• Romans 12 uses the word χάρισμα...which emphasizes the underservedness of us receiving gifts.

• 1 Cor 12 uses the word πνευματικός...which emphasizes the “spiritual source” of the gift.

But the term used here, δωρεά, is emphasizing how these gifts are freely, and graciously given to us by the sovereign choice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you look back into chapter 3, we see an example of one of these personal, measured, grace given gifts in the example of Paul...

Ephesians 3:2 – if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you…

Ephesians 3:7–8 –…I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ…

So Paul’s unique gifting was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, which is why we see Paul in Acts going from place to place bringing the gospel to different Gentile cities.

Now we should probably pause at this point and make an assumption explicit at this point...if Jesus has carefully and intentionally measured out gifts for you personally, do you think that he wants you to know what those gifts are?

• The assumption, from the way Paul shares about his gift to preach to the Gentiles in chapter 3 and then the way he tells the Ephesians each one of them has been gifted personally by Christ, is that you would know how you have been gifted so that it would be used!

Using the gift that the gift giver gives to you, is one of the primary ways that you communicate thanks to that person, and the delight and joy of the person in the gift is one of the ways that the gift giver receives a lot of joy!

• If you are a parent, then certainly you know how this works. This is why it’s so easy to spoil your children because we really delight in seeing them delight in what we give them!

So here’s a small application at this point for you:

• 1) Write down what gift or gifts you believe the Lord has given to you.

• 2) Write out why you believe you have that gift.

• 3) Write down how you are using that gift?

• 4) With someone who knows you well, maybe someone in your ABF, pointman group, ladies Bible study, mom-2-mom, spouse...and then ask them if they see they recognize that gift in you and they way it is being used.

The goal of that is to help us be aware of our gifting and to make sure we haven’t taken Christ’s gracious, personal gifts and put them on the shelf to collect dust...or taken those gifts that are to be used to bring glory to God and love others and employed them for our own selfish gain...

If you don’t know what your gifts are, then pray and ask the Lord to help you see what they are. And with someone who knows you well, ask them if they recognize Christ’s gifting in you.

I’ll give you an example of how other people can be very instrumental in helping us recognize our gifts...

• A week ago today...so on Mother’s Day, May 12^th, 2024 I learned of a spiritual gift that I didn’t know that I had...in fact I was quite certain that I did not posses this gift...

• But while spending time with a couple, playing pickleball...and for integrity sake, while being beaten at pickleball, at the end of one of the games one of them turned to me and said...AND I QUOTE, “You are very encouraging. You must have the gift of encouragement.”

• I will forever remember May 12^th, 2024 Mother’s Day, Pickle ball court 11, at 6:11pm!

Now if you couldn’t tell, I’m having a little bit of fun with that story because almost every single sermon that I sit in, one of the application points and take-aways for me is something like, “Be more vocally encouraging and praise what’s you see that is good in Erika and others!”

• But here’s the point...other believers who you are around, and who come to know you through serving, through spending time together, they can help you identify what kinds of gifts you have.

And in all seriousness, I think that her identifying “encouragement” even on the pickle ball court...as I was preparing this sermon it genuinely has helped me think about how do you take the “kind of encouragement” in a fun sporting event like that and transfer that more clearly into the counseling room, personal discipleship with others, my marriage, the foyer in church house, hospital visits and so forth.

So pray that God would help you know your gifts, and ask others if you don’t know.

The next 3 verses in our text are probably some of the most interesting, challenging verses in the entire book of Ephesians...but the overall point for a 50,000 foot view I think is pretty clear...the point is...

C. Your gift is a victory prize from Jesus.

So these gifts that he gives us in v.7 we are told they are given because of the victory of Jesus...that’s the point of vv.8–10 which says...

v. 8– Therefore it says, (that being the Scriptures say...and he quotes Psalm 68:18)

“When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”

Paul quotes this because he sees in Psalm 68 a prophetic fulfillment of this in Jesus Christ...so the “he” in that verse refers to Jesus.

• The phrase “To the victor goes the spoils” summarizes the point well.

Paul certainly helps us out with his further explanation in vv.9–10

v. 9–10 – (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

So we know that Paul is talking about Jesus, because Paul already prayed in chapter vv.18–21 that...

Ephesians 1:18–21 – I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know…what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

So “He ascended” is referring to the resurrection and subsequent ascension of Jesus Christ to the right hand of the Father in heaven.

The phrase “he descended into the lower parts of the earth” is referring to Christ’s incarnation and coming down to the earth to live as a human.

I would love to try and say more about why Paul quotes Psalm 68 here...but as I was trying to wrap my head around this and praying and praying and studying I came across a quote in my study that really helped me...

Ps. 68 is notoriously difficult both to outline and to place in any specific historical setting. Scholars often rank it among the most difficult psalms to interpret...^[1]

So I’m not quoting so that you’ll give me a pass on not having a better explanation...I’m quoting that partly to help us understand a really important part Bible Study...

• We can really get lost in the details...and I’m certainly not saying that details don’t matter.

• But I know that our sinful flesh, and the devil who is described in chapter 6 as shooting flaming arrows at us, would love nothing more for us to be distracted with all that we don’t know and miss the clear point of the text.

Christ descended in the incarnation...and through his death, burial and resurrection he triumphed over sin, darkness and all the cosmic forces evil forces and he has been exalted to the right hand of the Father and give the name that is above all names, and as Paul tells us in Philippians...

Philippians 2:10–11 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And in Christ’s victory, he has chosen to give gifts to all of his children from the victory that he had.

• That means we should rejoice in Christ’s victory, that not only won our salvation but also which brought about the gracious spiritual gifts that he has given to his church today.

So if we are going to live worthy of our calling, which is the main heading sentence in v.1 which governs the last half of the book of Ephesians...then we need to recognizes Jesus powerful victory and his extreme kindness to give each one of us gifts!

Once we recognize that...then what’s needed is action...it’s time to deploy your gift in the work of service for building up the body.

II. Deploy your gift in the work of service for building up the body (v.11-13)

Deploying your gift and using your gift takes right back to Ephesians 2:10 where Paul communicates very succinctly why God chose you and saved you in the first place...

Ephesians 2:9–10 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The use of our gifts is practically speaking how we are going do the good works that God has prepared for each of us to do.

These good works, and the service as our text here makes explicit is for the building up of the body...that being the church...which is the body of Christ.

And this text moves us from just considering the diversity of the gifts, to considering how that diversity is needed for the unity Christ has accomplished through the cross and that we are commanded to maintain in v.3...

So part of how we are Ephesians 4:3 [to be] diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

• Is by considering the benefit of the different gifts that Christ has given to his church...

Considering the benefit of different gifts.

Benefit might even be light weak of a word...the necessity of different gifts. John Calvin makes that exact point...

As Calvin puts it, ‘no member of the body of Christ is endowed with such perfection as to be able, without the assistance of others, to supply his own necessities.’^[2]

v. 11–12 –And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.

So here’s the point...Jesus has given personalized, gracious gifts to every single Christian.

• Some gifts that God gives lands people in the category of v.11 as one of the specially gifted people...an apostle, prophet, evangelists, pastor and or teacher...

Those gifted people are given by Jesus to the church for the equipping of the saints...and that equipping of the saints is for the work of service...and the work of service is so that the body of Christ--which is the church--would be built up...and v.13 will explain further what being built up means...so we’ll get to that.

So what you see here, is that the church is in constant need of help.

• We don’t have time to go into this today...so if you’re interested I’d encourage you to look at the first sermon in the spiritual gifts series that was done last year.

• But we don’t believe there are apostles or prophets today.

However, does that mean that we don’t need the apostolic or prophetic gifts?

• Of course not! The apostolic and prophetic gifts are contained for us in the Scripture’s and specifically in the NT which is why we open up the Bible every week to see what God’s word says!

So their ministry is absolutely foundational...then there are evangelists, pastors and teachers...

• Their gifts are essential for us today. The teaching ministry...not only from the pulpit on Sunday mornings, but the teaching ministry in Sunday School classes like ABFs, children’s ministry teachers, youth group leaders and teachers...those gifts are essential for “the saints”--the saints being each one of us--those gifts are essential so that we all would be equipped...

Now the word equipped...as it shows up here is the only use in the NT...but the root of that word shows up in other places in the NT with the idea “supplying what is lacking” or “fixing what is broken.” So the root word is used in the gospels to say, “they MENDED their nets.” (Matt. 4:21) In other words, the fixed their nets.

Or in 1 Thess 3:10 it says, “we desire to SUPPLY...or equip...what is lacking.”

This reinforces the quote from Calvin...we are all in need of each other.

• That’s true of your pastors...we may be one of the specially gifted people to the church...but our job in equipping the church is so that they will have what is needed to build up the body of which I and your pastors are a part of!

This text makes it so plain that every single believer is gifted with a measure of grace from Jesus and my gifting is needed by you to supply what is lacking and what you have been gifted with when equipped supply what is lacking to me!

It is in this way that Christ is fulfilling up his church...or as v.10 puts it “filling all things.”

If this is true...that we are all in need of each other...I’m lacking and your lacking, but what Christ has given me you need, and what Christ has given you I need then we need to be convinced...that the church still has room to grow from the use of your gifts.

Knowing the church still has room to grow from the use of your gifts.

And as I was working on this point, the way this point is written just comes across to gentle...not strong enough....the church has tons of room to grow...our church where we are celebrating 60 years has a lot of room and a lot of need to grow!

We should certainly be thankful...but we also need to be reminded of the standard of growth that we are aiming for so that we don’t take milestones like this and sit back and start to get proud thinking we’ve arrived. V.13 describes what the goal is...

v. 13 – until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Wow...we’ll spend time unpacking this, but I hope what you heard in all those phrases is that the goal is for EVERYONE to as mature and perfect as Christ! That’s the goal...that’s a high goal that we are still striving for...and yes, we have room to grow.

But this is where it gets very important to make sure we don’t fall into the ditch of individualism...we are American’s, which means thinking individualistically comes natural to us. So when we hear a verse like this...we certainly can think just individual progressive sanctification.

But you need to notice the movement between plural words to singular words...

• Here’s what I mean...

• V.13 starts with WE ALL...that’s plural...everyone...every single individual in the church...

• But then it goes to “A MATURE MAN”...it’s singular...it doesn’t say we all (plural) need to become mature men and women (plural)...grammatically that’s what we would expect.

Even if you go back into v.12 you see the same thing...

• PLURAL...’all saints’...and then SINGULAR...’the body.’

This is not the easiest thing to wrap your mind around...but what this is getting at is that individual progressive sanctification is in part dependent on the growth of the corporate body...and then the growth of the corporate body is dependent on individual sanctification.

One commentator put it this way...

The maturity of this growth is measured by nothing less than Christ’s full stature. ‘The glorified Christ provides the standard at which his people are to aim: the corporate Christ cannot be content to fall short of the perfection of the personal Christ’.^[3]

The text uses 3 phrases to emphasize the corporate body’s goal...

Attaining unity of the faith.

Growing in knowledge of the Son of God.

For sake of time I’ll take these 2 together...

• I hope the kind of unity that these two phrases are after really strike us as miraculous and supernatural. On any given Sunday on our 3 campuses we will have around 2000 people, and of those 2000 or so people right around 1800 are members.

• Think about what this calling us to corporately pursue...

• Unity of the faith...and unity of the knowledge of the Son of God.

This gets down to thinking, beliefs...and the kind of thinking and beliefs that impacts behavior.

• If you think about what is emphasized in so many different areas of our culture whether it be workplaces, or schools, or what’s being talked about in the political realm...diveristy and multi-you fill in the blank is being pushed as the answer to all sorts of problems.

So don’t miss how radical this is that the goal of each individual believers unique and diverse, multi-varied gifting is actually for the accomplishment of the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.

I can’t arrive at the unity of faith or the unity of the knowledge of the Son of God on my own. I need the giftings, and the perspectives of my brothers and sisters to attain to that!

And I hope you don’t hear in this that we’re trying to accomplish unity on the lowest common denominator...

• Our church’s history isn’t one of trying to water down the truths of scripture to the lowest common denominator that is going to make the most people happy.

Our goal as a church has been to strive to believe and understand rightly the entire Word of God and to corporately conform ourselves to that! After all Jesus said after his resurrection in Luke 24 that all of the Scriptures...the law and Moses and all of Scripture was about him!

We need entire Bible if we are to grow to what the next phrase says...

Maturing more fully in Christlikeness.

The text says “to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”

So the goal is to be just like Christ...

Hebrews describes Jesus as the exact imprint and nature of God...our goals as Christians is to strive to be just like Christ!

One of the reasons that so many men and women have a story of how Faith Church has helped them grow and become more like Christ is certainly do to the teaching around here...but it’s also because of so many people around here...so many saints who have been equipped and have deployed their gifts in order to help the body grow.

There are so many faithful people around here--men and women--who are diligently pursuing Christlikeness and using their gifts to help the church grow.

Me personally...am so grateful and am a beneficiary of your faithful service.

• Time doesn’t allow to give many illustrations to how works...

• But I’ll just give a couple quick ones...

When I was hired to start Restoration I started as the only paid staff member...

• - When Restoration opened to it’s first residents I tried to be as prepared and ready as possible...

• - My as prepared as possible didn’t get me as far as I hoped! If you want the longer story reach out to me and I can share that....

But there are 2 people humanly speak that were such an encouragement to me that through the infant stages of that program, that if they hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have lasted 3 months.

• One of them was Kenny Roe...he was the only volunteer I had for those first few months during the work day...his knowledge, friendship and willingness was such an extreme lift to my soul that God used him to help me still be here 8 years later.

• The 2^nd person is my wife...she buys groceries for the residents every single week...

• Both my wife and Kenny are still helping 8 years later by the way...

Here’s my point...we all need each other to go onto maturity...but it’s a corporate body maturity and Christlikness not just individual.

Teaching and pastoring gifts aren’t very helpful if people quit after 3 months...or a year or 2 years...

I could put a ton more names and examples of people who have sat under pastors and teachers...week after week after week, in order to be equipped and then they have utilized and deployed their gifts for the body...and the whole body goes onto maturity.

Eph. 3:10 says that the manifold wisdom of God is on display through the church...

Amen and amen!

^[1] Frank S. Thielman, “Ephesians,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos, 2007), 820.

^[2] Francis Foulkes, Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary (vol. 10; Tyndale New Testament Commentaries; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 121.

^[3] Peter Thomas O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999), 308.