We live in a way that is worthy of our identity as a follower of Jesus when we exercise the diversity of the spiritual gifts that we have received from Jesus...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Ephesians. Yesterday, we saw the Apostle Paul reveal for us the reality that we live in a way that is worthy of our identity as a follower of Jesus when we hold on to the unity that we have as a result of our identity. Paul’s point to followers of Jesus throughout history is that we live a life that is worthy of our identity as a follower of Jesus when we live in community with one another that is marked by unity.

The church is united as a result of the embracing of these foundational truths. To not embrace these foundational, closed handed issues is to not be a follower of Jesus or a church. And this unity as a result of these foundational truths results in us revealing and reflecting the nature and character of the unity of God to the world.  However, unity does not mean uniformity, as we see Paul reveal for us in Ephesians 4:7:

 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN." (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.)

Now when the Apostle Paul uses the word grace in verse 7, this word refers to God’s transformational intervention and activity in the life of followers of Jesus through Jesus. As a result of God’s transformational intervention and activity in the life of followers of Jesus through Jesus, followers of Jesus had received a gift. As we will discover in a few minutes, the gift that Paul is referring to are spiritual gifts. Paul’s point to the members of the church at Ephesus, and to followers of Jesus throughout history, is that upon becoming a follower of Jesus, each follower of Jesus receives a spiritual gift.

Paul then backs his claim by pointing the members of the church of Ephesus to section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament book of Psalms. In Psalm 68:18, we see the Psalmist proclaim that God had ascended to Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule and reign through the Jewish people after delivering the Jewish people from captivity as slaves in the nation of Egypt.

 Paul then takes this Psalm and applies it to Jesus ascension into Heaven as the fulfillment of this Psalm in the fullest sense. Paul’s point is that just as God had brought the Jewish people from captivity into relationship with Him to the Promised Land to establish His kingdom; Just as God had taken the Levites and giving them the gifts and responsibility for the Temple, Jesus had now ascended to Heaven and brought people who were now dead back to life.

And as Jesus captured hearts and brought people into relationship with Him, Jesus had given specific spiritual gifts to specific people in order to advance His kingdom here on earth. Just as Jesus had descended from the heights of Heaven to live on earth in the lowliest of positions here on earth so as to die the death of a condemned slave of enemy of the government, Jesus had now ascended back to the highest of Heaven to be in a position of preeminence and prominence over all things.

Now another question that we need to answer here is “what are spiritual gifts?” A spiritual gift is a God given inner motivation to meet the needs of others in a way that builds them up spiritually. A spiritual gift is not a talent or ability. Instead spiritual gifts work though a talent or ability to meet the needs of others in a way that results in others spiritual maturity. Spiritual gifts are used to help others so that others grow in their relationship with Jesus.

And it is here that we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us the reality that we live in a way that is worthy of our identity as a follower of Jesus when we exercise the diversity of the spiritual gifts that we have received from Jesus. Paul’s point to followers of Jesus throughout history is that we live a life that is worthy of our identity as a follower of Jesus when we use the diversity of spiritual gifts that we have been given as live in community with one another that is marked by unity.

You see, unity is not uniformity. Instead unity reveals itself through a diversity of people who have received a diversity of spiritual gifting who use that gifting in a way that results in a state of harmony in our relationships with one another as we build up one another spiritually. We see Paul unpack this reality for us in verse 11:

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; 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.

Now to understand what Paul is communicating here we first need to understand who the Apostles, Prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers are. When Paul refers to these titles, he is referring to specific ministry positions in the church that were occupied with people who possess a specific spiritual gift.

The Apostles and Prophets were a specific group of people who lived in a specific time in history that were given a specific spiritual gift. An Apostle was a person who had seen Jesus after He had been resurrected from the dead and who was given a specific spiritual gift by Jesus to supervise and authorize the special work of laying the foundation of the church.

A prophet was a person who received the spiritual gift to receive and communicate new truth about God and the kingdom of God by direct revelation from God during the founding of the church. A prophet, by definition reveals things about God that could not be known by another means and that was new.

That is why we do not have Apostles and Prophets today. Apostles and Prophets were a specific group of people who lived in a specific time in history that were given a specific spiritual gift to do something new, which was to launch the church.

When Paul refers to evangelist, he is referring to a person who had been given the spiritual gift of evangelism, which is an inner motivation to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel with others. Paul then refers to pastors.

Pastors are those who are in a position to exercise the spiritual gift of pastor shepherd, which is a God-given inner motivation to lovingly serve and nurture the spiritual well-being of others.

When Paul refers to teachers, he is referring to those who are in a position to exercise the spiritual gift of teaching, which is a God given inner motivation to research and explain the message and teachings of Jesus. Paul’s point here is that Jesus gave followers of Jesus specific spiritual gifts to be used in specific positions in the church.

Paul then explains that Jesus gave the diversity of spiritual gifts for three specific reasons. First, in verse 12, Paul explains that these spiritual gifts were given for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. Paul here is revealing for us the reality that we receive spiritual gifts to equip and empower others to advance His kingdom mission as we are used by God to bring people to the position where they experience the forgiveness and relationship with God that they were created for and become a part of the church. As followers of Jesus, when we use the diversity of the spiritual gifts within the church in a community that is marked by unity, the result is that we are equipped and empowered to reveal and reflect Jesus to the world, which God uses to bring people to Him and to become a part of the church.

Second, in the first part of verse 13, Paul explains that these spiritual gifts were given until we all attain to the unity of the faith. Paul here is revealing for us the reality that we receive spiritual gifts in order to build unity and harmony in community with one another as we grow in or relationship with Jesus. As followers of Jesus, when we use the diversity of the spiritual gifts we have been given in order to meet the needs of others, the result is that the church grows in their unity and harmony with one another as we grow in our trust in Jesus.

Third, in the rest of verse 13, Paul explains that these spiritual gifts were given until we all attain to the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Paul here is revealing for us the reality that we receive spiritual gifts in order to equip and empower others to a greater knowledge of Jesus that results in spiritual maturity. As followers of Jesus, when we use the diversity of the spiritual gifts we have been given in order to meet the needs of others, the result is that we grow in our knowledge of Jesus in a way that moves us toward spiritual maturity and a life that reveals and reflects Christ in our character and conduct.

Paul then reveals for us the results that occur when followers of Jesus exercise the diversity of the spiritual gifts that they had received from Jesus that moves others toward spiritual maturity and a life that reveals and reflects Christ in their character and conduct in Ephesians 4:14:

 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

In these verses, we see Paul reveal for us two results that occur when followers of Jesus exercise the diversity of the spiritual gifts that they had received from Jesus in a way that moves others toward spiritual maturity and a life that reveals and reflects Christ in their character and conduct.

First, in verse 14, Paul explains that when we exercise the diversity of the spiritual gifts that we receive from Jesus in the lives of others in a way that results in spiritual maturity, these followers of Jesus would no longer immaturely move away from the truth of the message and teachings of Jesus. As a result of our spiritual maturity, we would no longer be tricked by crafty false teachers. And as a result of our spiritual maturity, we would no longer wander away from the truth as a result of crafty and deceitful schemes.

Second, in verse 15-16, Paul explains that when we exercise the diversity of the spiritual gifts that we receive from Jesus in the lives of others in a way that results in spiritual maturity, these followers of Jesus would reveal and reflect Jesus as we exercise our spiritual gifts together in a way that built up the church together. As a result of our spiritual maturity, we grow as individuals to reveal Christ in our character and conduct. And as a result of our spiritual maturity, our individual growth results in the church revealing Christ to the world.

So here is a question to consider: How are you responding to all that God had done for you that resulted in your vertical relationship with Jesus? What are you doing when it comes to your horizontal relationships with others as a result of what Jesus has done for you?