Grow With Pastor Joe

Imagine with me a carpenter’s shop for a moment. Look around and see all the tools at the disposal of the master carpenter. Each day, the carpenter comes in with his plan to build using a collection of tools. These tools without a carpenter won’t accomplish much. Now, imagine that these tools could talk. One morning, before the carpenter arrives in his workshop, the tools begin debating about who is the most important tool in the workshop. The saw says that he’s the most important because without him nothing would be cut. The drill says that he’s the most important because without him there would be nothing put together. Then, the screws pipe up in self-assertion that it is they after all that hold everything together. Of course, the wood stain chimes in to express her importance to protecting and beautifying the carpenter’s work. Mr. Sandpaper has to tell everyone how important he is (of course he does so in a rough way), because after all, without him nothing would be smooth. Even the sad shop broom debates its unimportance because he doesn’t help in the construction just the cleaning. As the arguing continues to intensify the master carpenter walks into his shop. He places his hands on the tools and begins his day’s work. Each tool that day is used in different capacities. The same tools that argued their importance or even their unimportance are cared for and used by the carpenter. On the shelf, the tools from the saw to the broom are good for nearly nothing. But in the hands of the carpenter, they can create extraordinary and useful things. Each tool is different by design but when brought together in unity is used to create wonders.

            Jesus is that Master Carpenter. He cares for each tool in His shop and has a designated purpose for each one. On our own, we aren’t much good. Yet, in His hand, He works through us to accomplish His work and will. God is glorified as He uses each tool whether big or small. As we continue in our study of Ephesians 4, we will see the continued outworking of our wealth in Christ in our walk in Christ. The chapter begins with the transition from the doctrine to the duty of the believer. Our relationship with and in Christ has been established, now the expectations of our responsibility are being laid before us. The positional truths in Christ are for the practical transformation of each believer in Christ. God’s goal for each Christian is to grow in unity and usefulness as we mature in our wealth and walk in Christ. Everything in this chapter is going to be resting on the call to have a worthy walk in humility, love, and unity in the truth. Our usefulness and unity in the local church are dependent upon our maturity. We are to continually mature as we yield to the scriptures and the Holy Spirit’s work in us so that we will live worthy in our walk to the glory of God.

Ephesians 4:7-16 tells us,

“⁷ But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.⁸ Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.⁹ (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?¹⁰ He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)¹¹ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:¹³ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:¹⁴ That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:¹⁶ From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

            Today, we will see the gifts and goals for a worthy walk. God has given us gifts for usefulness and unity and these also come with goals for each believer and the Body of Christ as a whole. Everything that God requires of us, He gives the resources to accomplish. All our riches and resources are in Christ. The strength to live the Christian life is only in Christ. As we mature in Christ, we then will live in a useful unity and will by faith practically walk worthy of our wealth (position and possessions) in Christ. This passage has an immense amount of truth that should transform our perspective about what it means to walk worthy in our daily life. Furthermore, this passage will show God’s desire to use you in His workshop to build His Church. You need the Church, and the Church needs you. Don’t think for one moment that you are called to go at it alone or that you don’t have what you need for your daily walk in Christ. He has provided all that is needed for us. God wants us to walk worthy of our wealth in Christ, but He shows us what that looks like. Ultimately, if you get nothing else out of this, I want you to realize through this study that God wants you to use your gifts for the goal as you mature in Him for the goal of usefulness and unity in the Body of Christ.

            To walk worthy in useful unity we must first see the gifts that God has given to us in our walk in Christ. Eph. 4:7-12 says, “⁷ But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.⁸ Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.⁹ (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?¹⁰ He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)¹¹ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” As we examine the gifts, we will see that they have been delivered, they must be developed, and then they must be deployed or else they are of no real value.

Eph. 4:7-10 tells us how the gifts of grace for useful unity for a worthy walk have been delivered to us. These gifts come from the measure of grace that is in Christ. Read Eph. 4:7 again. God’s grace in Christ has given gifts “unto every one of us…according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Each believer is given spiritual gifts for the personal usefulness and public unity in the Body of Christ. He hasn’t left anyone out. Jesus is not like Santa Claus who leaves people off the list to get gifts. If you are in Christ, then He has gifted you for the good of the Church and glory of Christ. It is approaching presidential election season, and many are talking about unemployment rates. Well, in the kingdom of God the unemployment rate is always zero. Unfortunately, many who have been given gifts for the good of the Church and glory of Christ are choosing to stay at home and collect the blessings of God without being a part of the building up of the Church. At bare minimum, each believer is gifted with much. We are gifted more than we realize. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit and inspired Holy Scriptures to strength, teach, convict, comfort, and equip us for the benefit and building up of the Body of Christ. These gifts are not based on our talents or abilities. Rather, spiritual gifts are supernatural gifts given to us by His grace for the good of others and for His glory to be displayed in our life. God must gift you of His grace to do the impossible. Christian living is impossible on our own. A worthy walk is unattainable without His grace. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15), therefore, we need a supernatural grace to live and walk worthy of our position and possessions in Christ. We must understand that there are a variety of gifts that Christ gives. Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 both give more detailed lists of the diversity of gifts within the Church. All are gifted. All are gifted differently. All are gifted according to the measure of grace that is in Christ. This means, whatever you are be that to the glory of God. Whether you are a saw or the broom, be who you are in Christ to the glory of God. None are able to say, “God didn’t gift me and I can’t be used to help.” As pioneer missionary Hudson Taylor put it, “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.” God has supplied you with a gift of grace for the good of the Church. It is not earned. It is not for you to look good or boast. It is by grace for the good of others and the glory of Christ. Each believer has designated gifts. This means, only you can do what God has called you to do. No one can do your job for you. D. L. Moody once said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And that which I can do, by the grace of God I will do.” Make sure that as we seek to live in useful unity, that we walk in and by His grace. God isn’t looking for your ability, talent, or strength. He is looking for your surrender and willingness. We will be as close to God as we are yielded to Him in the humility found in Eph. 4:2-3. We will be as useful and united as we chose to be.

Look back and read Eph. 4:8-10. You may have just reread it a few times and perhaps are wondering, “Uh oh, what does this mean?” These few verses have troubled many and caused many to be derailed from the whole purpose of the context of this passage. Let’s keep the worthy walk in our minds and see that God is calling each of us to maturity and unity for the good of the Church and the glory of Christ. These three verses show us the ministry of grace. Christ’s ministry of grace through His work on the cross and His resurrection has provided gifts for all believers in all times. Paul is quoting in these verses Psalm 68:18 which says, “¹⁸ Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.” The captives are the Old Testament saints who were held in Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom until Jesus’ bodily resurrection. The ascension and descension is dealing with Christ’s sufficient atoning work. Think of it this way, Christ descended to earth, was lifted on a cross to die for our sins, was buried, and descended into the grave. Jesus not only rose again the third day as a victor, but He died and descended in victory as well. Then, on the morning of His resurrection, He led the Old Testament saints to their ultimate deliverance that they may enjoy the promises that were once hidden but now revealed in Christ. It is the ministry of Christ’s grace in the gospel (His death, burial, and resurrection) that delivers the gift of deliverance to the Old Testament Saints but also gives gifts to the New Testament saints so that we may be able to walk worthy of our position and possessions in Christ. Christ conquered and delivered the gift of victory over the Devil, sin, and the grave itself. This truth is expressed in Col. 2:12-15 showing Christ’s victory that has delivered the gifts to us. Christ has fulfilled all of this to fill us full of His gifts of grace all to His glory (See Eph. 3:19-4:10).

Eph 4:11-12 shows us two more important truths about the gifts that Christ has given to us. First, these gifts must be developed. We do not develop spiritual gifts through the work of the flesh. Remember, these are delivered by the measure and ministry of His grace. For these gifts to each believer to be developed within the context of the Church, Christ gave some foundational gifted individuals to lay the foundation of the Church. He first gave apostles and prophets. These two gifts were temporary and used by God to establish the Church. Apostles were those who were commissioned by the resurrected Jesus and had to have seen the resurrected Christ. They carried a special authority that passed away as each of them gave their life for the sake of the gospel. Prophets were used to foretell and forthtell. They not only prophesied what was to come but forthtold the message of God. The prophets and apostles were used to establish the New Testament canon of scripture. Both were used for the edifying of the Body of Christ, specifically, for the maturing and unity of the Church. Understand this, you will never develop your spiritual gifts outside of the scriptures. We need to be in the word and the word to be in us. Secondly, there are gifted individuals that were given functional gifts for the daily functioning of the Church. The evangelists are those who are supernaturally called and gifted with sharing the gospel. When you think of a modern-day evangelist, you may think of a man who has fifteen suits and fifteen sermons and wears them both out. I believe that we should think of modern-day missionaries instead. They carry the gospel to see conversions, make disciples, and establish local churches. Each believer is called to share the gospel. No one is excused from evangelism (sharing the good news of the gospel). The next gifted individual is the office of pastor. The word for pastors is the same as shepherds. Pastors are to be under shepherds to lead and feed the flock of God. Each pastor is responsible for those two specific things. Their job is to equip the flock, and each sheep to do their job. The pastor’s job is not to do the job of the whole flock but to get the whole flock to do their job. They must be led of God and feast upon His word to be able to lead and feed the flock that is entrusted to their care. There are also gifted teachers in the Body of Christ. These are individuals who are not necessarily called or equipped to pastor, but they have been supernaturally given insight to instruct through the Bible. A pastor must be apt to teach and preach the word, but His responsibility goes beyond teaching. As these gifted individuals have been given to us, they minister in a functional way that leads to the formational developments of each believer. God uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers in the local church empowered by the Spirit to develop the flock of God. All of these are for “the perfecting of the saints.” These gifted individuals are gifts to the local church to develop us through the scriptures into mature and capable believers who can then exercise their spiritual gifts. You can’t mature if you don’t embrace the scriptures or engage in the life of the local church. Immature believers are those who choose not to be developed. Often, they are unteachable or rather, unwilling to be taught, led, fed, or challenged. They have yet to walk in the humility of the passage therefore, they walk unworthy of their calling and become a hinderance to the Body.

Secondly, these gifts must be deployed. You are only maturing in your walk as you deploy the gifts of grace that God is developing in you. Those who deploy their gifts for the good of the church and glory of Christ do “the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” If you aren’t serving, then you aren’t maturing. If you aren’t walking in unity, then you aren’t maturing. If you aren’t maturing, then you are walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit. God wants you to grow in maturity so that we would be useful and united for the cause of Christ. We were saved to serve, not sit or sour. God has delivered gifts to you to be developed and deployed. Having a filled head but an empty heart won’t do anyone a bit of good. Having a zealous heart but an empty head will do no good either. We need our heads and hearts filled with the fullness of doctrine and devotion to the Lord. God has called each of us to be equipped for the service and work of ministry. Each believer is not only equipped with gifts but expected to use those gifts. There is no one in the Church that is excused from ministry. God has called all into ministry (the word here simply means service). You might not be gifted and called to be a pastor, teacher, deacon, etc., but you’ve been equipped by His grace to deploy that gift to build Christ’s Church. Your gifting is not by accident, and it is not insignificant. Don’t delay your deployment. Get in the game. Get in the fight. Walk worthy of your salvation in useful unity to the Body of Christ and glory of Christ.

Grow with me as we study the believer’s wealth and walk in Christ.

Grow deeper.

Grow higher. Grow wider