If I could find the right words to say to tell
you just what Christ means to me, I'd say he's
more than I could show. And He's more than you'll
ever know. Christ means more to me than you'll
ever know. Christ means more to me than... could
possibly show he's more he's more so much more
he's more than you ever knew Just yesterday You'd
know why he's life And he's breath to me You'd
know why he's more Than I could show And he's
more than I could possibly show. He's more. He's
more. So much more. More than you ever knew.
He's more. He's more. So much more. open our
Bibles together to the fourth chapter of the
book of Ephesians, where we pick up our study
on the Lord's gifts to his people. As Jesus returned
to heaven in victory and glory, he imparted gifts
to his people, gifts in two respects. One we
talked about last week. Those were the personal
gifts, those given to individuals. We define
them as those spirit -given abilities to serve
Christ in his church with blessing and fruitful
results. There are two general categories of
these sorts of personal gifts. There are gifts
of speaking and gifts of serving. Gifts of serving
would include help, as the New Testament names
it, doing very practical things to help others.
to assist them. That is a spiritual gift, and
some exercise that with great blessing to the
body of Christ. The serving gifts would also
include administration or management, the gift
of ruling, the gift of showing mercy, the gift
of giving. Speaking gifts, on the other hand,
would include teaching, preaching, and exhortation.
I believe that the gift of each one of us is
actually a blend or a combination of those that
I've just named, as well as others, with one
of the gifts likely being predominant in the
life. In other words, I don't think that any
of us have but just one of the various spiritual
gifts. But our gift, though it's singular, is
nonetheless a blend of a number of gifts, with
one of them likely being the dominant one. The
gift package which God gives to us is given to
us at salvation. And we learn in his word that
it is given to us by his sovereign choice. Never
are we commanded as individuals to seek certain
gifts. We either have them or we don't have them.
Now there is a verse in 1 Corinthians 12 that
is often taken out of its context where it says
that the better gifts, the greater gifts, are
to be sought. But that is written to a church
as a whole, as a body of people. They were tending
to emphasize the lesser gifts. And so Paul said
to them, look, earnestly covet and emphasize
the greater gifts, not the lesser ones. But he
was not saying that we as individuals have the
prerogative of choosing which gifts we have.
We do not. The Spirit of God gives those sovereignly,
as he says in that very chapter. I don't think
that we need to spend a great deal of time worrying
and becoming anxious about what gifts we have.
What we need to do is to recognize that God has
gifted us individually and then begin determining
what those gifts are as we serve him. You say,
well, how do I determine what the gifts are?
I don't think there's a magic formula for that.
There are some helpful evaluations. which you
can buy as a part of books about spiritual gifts.
Those explain what the gifts are, that is, those
books do, and then they help you evaluate yourself
so that you can sort of cross out some of the
gifts and take a harder look at others. But I
believe the very best way to determine what your
spiritual gift is is first of all to study the
Word. to gain an understanding of what the gifts
are like. We should always go to the Word of
God when we seek to determine something spiritually,
shouldn't we? And so if we think about what gift
we may have or what those abilities the Spirit
of God may have blended into our lives might
be, we should go to the Word of God and seek
there to gain some understanding of the gifts.
And then after we have done that, or indeed as
we're doing that, We should begin getting busy
in serving the Lord, finding some spot. We don't
have to wait to be invited by somebody to join
a teaching staff or to be an usher. If you have
an interest in some job here at the church or
some aspect of the ministry, seek out somebody.
And if there's not something happening here that
you think you're gifted to do, then talk to somebody
about beginning that. It may be that God wants
to use you to begin a ministry in our church.
We have a slew of things that we as a local church
are not doing now because up to this point, gifted
people have not come forward to say, I would
like to commit myself to that or at least investigate
that possibility. So don't be afraid to do that.
After you are studying the Word to gain some
understanding of the gifts, then get busy. And
then after you've done that, begin looking for
fulfillment. What is it that brings satisfying
results in your life? Where you see the blessing
of God especially come in your service, that
is a good indication to you that you've plugged
into the right area for your gifts. Now it may
be that you'll never, with complete satisfaction,
be able to name your gifts. Indeed, I think the
list given to us in the Word of God is probably
suggestive and not complete. And so there may
not be a biblical name for the exact gift that
you have. But as you plug into the body of Christ
and you begin to sense fulfillment in doing a
certain thing and God's blessing is on you there,
that is an indication to you that you have found
your niche in the body of Christ. And that whatever
the gift, might be called in your life, that's
how God is using it. He's exercising that gift
in that particular function. Christ's personal
gifts to the body are intended to promote unity
within it and to strengthen it. That's why your
gift is so important to this local church. Because
to the degree that all of us are involved, we
are strong. To the degree we're not involved,
we are weak. As all of us become involved and
are utilizing our gifts, the body is unified.
It's brought together, and that certainly is
the context of Ephesians 4. Now the same is true
regarding the corporate gifts. I've talked about
gifts with respect to personal gifts. Now let's
talk about the second respect of the gifts that
Christ has given to his people, and that's the
corporate gifts, the gifts given to the whole
body. 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 the ministry 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 we want to look
at these gifts that Jesus Christ has given to
the whole body, to all of us to enjoy, not just
our personal gifts given to us, but those that
Christ, as he ascended back to heaven, provided
for, for all of us who are a part of the church.
Besides those personal spiritual gifts, he has
given, as he says here, individuals who themselves
are declared to be his gifts to his body. not
because of any intrinsic worthiness on their
part, but he has given them, as he always gives,
by grace. These individuals are called to specific
offices and responsibilities in the body of Christ
in order to promote strength and unity within
the body of our Lord. Now he names them in verse
11. Notice that they are in sort of a chronological
order. at least for this age. He talks about
apostles. He gave some as apostles. Would you
turn back with me to the Gospel of Matthew and
look in the 10th chapter, please, where the word
apostle is used. In verse 1, it says, And having
summoned his twelve disciples, Jesus gave them
authority. over unclean spirits to cast them
out and to heal every kind of disease and every
kind of sickness. Now notice in verse 1, it calls
them the twelve disciples. Look at verse 2. Now
the names of the twelve apostles are these, and
they are listed for us. And then in verse 5,
yes, it says, These twelve Jesus sent out after
instructing them. You notice the bridge here?
He called them to himself as disciples. Now he
sends them out from himself as apostles. That's
what an apostle is. It is one who is sent forth
on an assignment. Or it is one who bears a message
for another. There were apostles of our Lord
Jesus Christ appointed in the early days of this
age. As the church was beginning to be formed,
they had three qualifications. Number one, they
had to be chosen by Jesus Christ. Now, one of
the original twelve was a betrayer. He was not
a child of God at all. He was a child of the
devil, as was evident at the close of his life.
In order for the twelve to be completed, another
was chosen, as recorded in Acts chapter 1. His
name was Matthias. I personally believe that
he was chosen in a customary manner among the
Jews and according to the will of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I believe that Matthias rightly belongs
to the Twelve. And then, of course, there was
the Apostle Paul who called himself as one born
out of due season. The Apostle Paul is... unique
in the sense that he is the apostle to the church.
He too was personally chosen by Jesus Christ,
as evidenced by his call on the road to Damascus.
So that's the first qualification. Secondly,
apostles must have seen the risen Christ. Of
course, the eleven saw him, as did Matthias.
Because that was one of the stipulations set
down in Acts 1. And the apostle Paul saw the
risen Christ on the road to Damascus. And then
thirdly, those who were apostles had to evidence
or possess what are called the sign gifts of
the apostles in 2 Corinthians 12, 12. Signs,
miracles, and wonders. We need to understand
that those gifts were not commonly given to all
of the believers, even in the first century.
If they had been, in what sense could they ever
be called sign gifts? They were unusual things.
Even then they were unusual. And they are called
the gifts that authenticated or signified true
apostles. So the apostles had to have been chosen
by Christ, have seen him personally, and had
to have been given the signed gifts. They were
unique to that first generation. No one today
can claim to have seen the risen Christ, whether
in human form or 900 feet tall. No one has seen
the risen Christ today. There are not apostles
today. And then there are prophets listed here.
Prophets who exercised their gift in specific
local churches in the first century. Their purpose
was, it seems, to express to bodies of believers
like ours direct revelation from God. Now remember,
they did not have a New Testament. As the New
Testament was produced, in those early decades,
eventually this gift and this office ceased,
technically. There was no longer any need for
a direct revelation to be given to prophets to
speak to people, because God put it down in a
written form so it didn't have to be given over
and over again, but it's been given once and
for all time to us. So this is where we have
our authority today, and not from some so -called
prophets who claim to have revelation from God.
God is not giving revelation. The gift, the office
of prophet, ceased in the first century, as did
the office of apostle. Here in Ephesians chapter
2 and verse 20, it makes it clear. It says that
we are God's household, having been built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
The foundation does not need to be continuously
laid. Once it is laid, it is in place, and the
superstructure is built. The apostles and prophets
were the foundation part of the church, and we
are built upon them today. Now the third office
that is listed here, the third group of people,
he gave some as evangelists. That is, those who
proclaim good news, the bearers of the gospel
message. I think that we can call these people,
in our mission's terminology today, church planters.
Especially those who went to unreached regions
where the gospel had never been proclaimed. They
were evangelists. They told the good news of
Jesus Christ. and establish churches as a result
of that. We might compare them today to our missionaries.
Those who are going to unreached regions of the
world to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, they
are gifts to the church. They are establishing
beachheads throughout the world so that the body
of Jesus Christ can be extended to that point.
And from that point beyond that point and then
beyond that, that is God's plan. And that's why
they are gifts to the entire body of Jesus Christ.
And then he says, and some as pastors and teachers.
Most Bible students believe that rather than
two offices or two groups being viewed here,
that he's really saying, and some as pastor -teachers.
The word pastor means shepherd. So he's talking
about teaching shepherds, teaching pastors. These
are those raised up by God to teach local churches
after they've been established. Shepherds who
care for Christ's flock by feeding, protecting,
and leading. Obviously, there's a great deal
of variety in these offices, and particularly
so with those who are pastor teachers. I believe
that our Lord raises up pastor -teachers for
a church for a period of time, and when their
ministry has been fulfilled in that place, he
likely will take them on to another church that
he's prepared that needs that particular gift
to the body at that time, and then from there
he leads them on to another place. And no one
can say for himself, nor can a church claim,
how long a pastor will be in a particular spot.
That is up to the sovereign Lord of the church.
The pastor -teachers are gifts to the whole body
of Christ because within the sovereign plan of
God, they are occasionally moved to different
places so that those gifts can be exercised and
those other churches profit. I think it's important
for local churches to learn to appreciate differences
in the style of pastor -teachers. There are those
people who... think that every pastor -teacher
ought to be able to preach like Charles Swindoll
or like John MacArthur. Well, of course, that
is a silly thing because no one can preach like
them. They are unique people. We need to appreciate
the various gifts and the diversity in the body
as far as pastor -teachers are concerned. I thank
God, by the way, for the ministries of men like
that. I'm sorry to say some of my colleagues
in the ministry, I don't mean here in this church,
but out yonder, some of them have different ideas.
They don't appreciate those kinds of radio ministries,
considering them to be competition. I think that's
very sad. For Charles Swindoll and I are not
in competition, nor John MacArthur and I or any
of the other media preachers. Indeed, I thank
God for them because I think in the first place
they establish a certain standard in churches.
It does tend to keep pastors on their toes. Pastors
today, if we're going to compete, we're going
to lose out if we try to compete with these people.
We can't do that. But what we can do is to thank
God for these men and to do our very best where
God has placed us. and utilize our gifts, and
realize that these media ministries that God
has raised up, at least for this time and this
generation, they may not always be there. He
has allowed them to be raised up now to complement
the ministries of pastor -teachers. I wish that
all of my brethren could see that and appreciate
that. Local churches need to be patient with
pastor -teachers to allow for growth. I thank
God for that group of people where I began. Because
I tell you, I was green. I'd never pastored a
church before in my life. I didn't even want
to be a pastor until four months before I was
called to be a senior pastor of a church of 1
,200. That's an unusual group of people who would
accept a man of 26 years of age to do that. And
they were patient with me. and put up with my
foolishness, my mistakes, forgave me of the mistakes
that I made, and encouraged me along the way
so that I could develop. I thank God for that
group of people. They will always be very special
in my heart because of what they gave to me,
what I gained there because of their influence
in my life, their patience with me. And we have
young men who are coming up in our church, some
who are on our staff, others who are in seminary,
and some who are not even at that point yet,
that we need to be encouraging along the way.
They may not be able to preach like the senior
pastor. They may not be able to sound like a
Charles Stanley. Of course not. They haven't
had that experience. But, beloved, as the body
of Christ, let's encourage these men that God
is raising up to be pastor teachers. Having examined
what the text says about the personal gifts and
the corporate gifts, let's look ahead and see
the goal for all of this. What has the Lord got
in mind? Well, notice in verses 12 and 13, he's
very explicit about that. In verse 13, he gives
us a description of the goal, and I think we
can boil it down to those three words where he
says, a mature man. That is the goal of the gifts.
Your gifts. and the gifts to the body as a whole,
the pastor -teachers, the evangelists. It is
that the body of Christ, and really he's got
in view here more than just a local church, but
the whole body, all of us saved in this age,
that the whole body, as well as a local body,
may be a mature man. The picture that Paul apparently
has in mind here is an Olympic athlete, one who
is well -developed. A man who is able to enter
into the race and win it because he is fully
developed and complete, mature. That is the picture
that he uses of the church. And he says that
at the present time the church is being, as it
were, worked out. Our muscles are being built.
Our body is being put together so that we can
grow up. to maturity. Now he further elaborates
on that in the phrase that follows those three
words. He says, to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fullness of Christ. It is
as our church acts together as a whole. It is
as we think together, as we relate together,
as we reach out together. that we are like our
Lord Jesus Christ. Just one of us alone is not
sufficient, for we are members of the body. This
extension of my hand here, my index finger, is
not me in my entirety. It's an important part
of me, especially when I smash it in a door.
But if you cut that finger off and stuck it out
here, I would hope you wouldn't feel that's me.
And you see, you're a member of the body. You
alone represent something of Jesus Christ. But
you can't represent all that Jesus Christ is
without all the rest of us. Do you understand
the point here? We have to be together. in serving
the Lord as a local church in order for what
Jesus Christ fully and really is to be understood.
For we together as a body of people are the expression
of his life in our community. We have to be cautious
about this matter because even though we are
growing to maturity, we have not arrived there
yet. There are no perfect churches. There are
no perfect Christians in the world, for sin still
indwells us that is in our flesh. So we've not
yet arrived by any means, but what we are doing
is pressing on toward maturity. That's why we
say that we are a worshiping community of believers
in Jesus Christ, growing in our commitment to
God and His Word. What will characterize a church
that is mature? Well, apparently there is a certain
sense in which we can arrive at that point in
this world, not perfectly, but we can grow toward
maturity and at some point be described as mature
in a relative sense. What kind of a church, rather,
what will that kind of a church look like? Well,
I think he tells us in the first part of this
verse, until we all attain to the unity, of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
It seems to me it says there are two characteristics
that we ought to be looking for in a maturing
church. One is unity of the faith, oneness of
mind and fellowship in the cause that we have.
That comes from the Word of God, by the way,
doesn't it? That oneness of heart, the Spirit
of God works in us through the Word, brings us
to understand who we are in Jesus Christ and
who God is and what our job in the world is.
And as we get together on that, we are maturing.
Unity of the faith. Oneness. And then he calls
it the knowledge of the Son of God. A maturing
church is characterized by knowledge, full. deep
knowledge of the Son of God. The idea seems to
be here, intimate fellowship with the Son of
God. A maturing church is one that is coming
to know God, growing in fellowship with Jesus
Christ as well as with one another. Someone has
said it's theology that has learned to worship.
It's not enough for us merely to learn academically
facts. about theology, about Jesus Christ, about
God. We must go beyond the facts to come to know
him. That's what he's saying here. The goal that
God has in mind in giving you your spiritual
gifts and giving me my spiritual gifts, and then
in giving gifts to the body, is that the body
may grow up and mature. And a mature body is
one that is coming together in unity of the faith,
and growing in a knowledge, a deep, intimate,
personal knowledge of Jesus Christ, God's Son.
Now how is that practically going to happen?
Well, I think he tells us something about it
in verse 12. There's a certain sequence of clauses
here that's important to grasp. Notice that he
says in verse 7 that he has given to each of
us gifts. In verse 11, he says that he also has
given to us as a whole, as a body of people,
certain individuals to fulfill these offices.
Now, why has he given them? Well, first of all,
he says, for the equipping of the saints. You
notice that? The word equip here means to complete,
to fill out, to bring to perfection. It was a
word used in that day as the Bible was being
written of a home It was also used by physicians
of the setting of a broken bone, by fishermen
of mending of nets. He's talking here about the
preparation of the body of Jesus Christ by God
himself, the equipping of the saints. I think
this is a good definition for the word equip,
a dynamic conditioning. of the body. A dynamic
conditioning of the body members, each of us,
so that we can fulfill our God -given function
for which we're gifted. How does this happen?
Well, several ways. Through the teaching of the
Word, by an example that is laid before people,
saying, here is how you do it. The Word tells
us what, but here, follow me. This is how to
do it, by setting an example. By restoring the
fallen, Galatians 6 .1 tells us that we equip
people. We're bringing them to this point of
being conditioned. So he tells us that gifts
are given for the equipping of the saints. That's
you. That's my primary purpose here in the church.
We live in a day when pastors are, in especially
smaller churches, thought to be jacks of all
trade. In fact, Dr. Earl Rodmacher has written
a little pamphlet about that entitled Jacks of
All Trade. And some of you come from smaller
churches where the pastor has been expected to
clean the bathrooms and publish the bulletin
and visit the sick and visit everybody's home
in the church and sweep the floor and, oh, by
the way, preach a sermon, too, and study to do
that. I want you to know that that isn't God's
plan even in a small church. That is not the
plan of God. The reason that God gives pastor
-teachers to a church is primarily to equip the
saints through the teaching of the word, through
the setting of an example, and by restoring those
who are fallen. That is my primary job in the
church. As the elders have outlined it, my job
is to spend a lot of time in the study preparing
to speak to you. And I believe that's what God
has called me to do. You say, when is all this
other stuff going to get done? When are the windows
going to get washed? When are the sick going
to get called on? When are homes going to be
called on? I'll tell you when. When the saints
are equipped for the work of service. That's
the next phrase. Because, you see, all of those
things are the responsibility of all of us. All
of us. Each of us needs to function in a healthy,
wholesome manner in the body, and that includes
visiting the sick, the shut -in, counseling,
encouraging, leading, freeing others to do what
they're gifted to do, providing for the needy,
praying, sharing the gospel. All of those things
are the ministry. We are all the ministers of
Jesus Christ. Now, it's because that has been
so misunderstood in some churches that there
are churches that are dying. God's plan is not
for there to be a professional staff that does
the work of the ministry. If there is a staff
member hired at our church, his primary job has
to in some way include equipping the saints of
God for the work of the ministry. All of us have
a work to do. And the purpose of our work is
that the body may be built up. Do you notice
that's the next phrase there? That there might
be a harmonious, mature body. That as we as individuals
minister to each other, we grow. We grow because
we minister, and people grow because we minister
to them. And as the body is built up, new people
are saved. They're brought into the body, and
then they are built up, and they're incorporated.
And then new people are added. There's this continuous
cycle of the body being built up. That is God's
plan. John MacArthur has written some helpful
words regarding this. He says, The dynamic of
the early church came from a proper understanding
of roles in the body. Gifted men building up
the saints who in turn exercise spiritual ministries
throughout the body. The local church essentially
is a training place. to equip Christians to carry
out their ministries. Unfortunately for many
Christians, the church is a place to go to watch
professionals perform and to pay the professionals
to carry out the church program. In many quarters,
Christianity has deteriorated into professional
pulpitism financed by lay spectators. The church
hires a staff of ministers to do all the Christian
service. This scheme is not only a violation
of God's plan, but an absolute detriment. to
the growth of the body and the vitality of the
members of the body. Every member needs to find
a significant place of service. Unless you think
that Dr. MacArthur is saying there should not
be a staff hired at a church, I can tell you
he has 50 pastors on the staff of his church.
What he's saying is that those men are hired
by the church to be overseers and to be equipers
of the body. And as they equip the body, the
individual saints, those individual saints then
are involved in ministry and they're growing.
And the result of that is the body is being built
up and matured. Are you being equipped? If you
are not, part of the failure may be mine. Because
that is my job here. Part of it may be you, because
in order for you to be equipped, there has to
be a certain commitment on your part, too. It's
not enough for a pastor to commit himself to
go to a study and spend hours there during the
week studying the Word and seeking the mind of
God regarding a message. If equipping is going
to take place, there's responsibility in the
hearer, too. A responsibility not only to hear
the Word, but to act on it. And a responsibility
to be where the Word is being preached. The prerequisite
for being equipped for all of us is the Lordship
of Jesus Christ. God's purpose for you, my friend,
is that you might be equipped and that those
gifts that God has given you may be developed,
that you as a person may grow, and as a result
of your growth and your maturity and the things
of God you're equipping, then the whole body
is strengthened. And as the body functions together
in harmony and unity, it extends and others are
incorporated into the body. And that is a continuous
cycle. But for that to happen, For that to really
happen, the members of the body have to be sure
that Jesus Christ is Lord. And to make whatever
changes are necessary, to reorder whatever priorities,
so that that dynamic conditioning can take place
truly and really and genuinely in the life. I
believe that the most exciting thing in the world
for a Christian is to grow in his understanding
of who he is in Jesus Christ and of how he fits
into the eternal purpose of God and what he can
do right now to experience that God -given function
and fulfillment in the body of Christ. But I
repeat, we cannot experience that excitement
unless we are rightly related to our head, our
Lord. Jesus Christ? Is your life under his control
today? Are your priorities where they ought to
be, where you know Jesus Christ wants them to
be? Can you be equipped? Have you made the essential
commitments in your own life so that you can
be equipped as a member of this church? And those
are basic. Even the basic commitment of being
here faithfully. If not, then that's where we
need to start. By making that commitment to the
Lordship of Christ. This last week, a dear saint
of God went to heaven. Mrs. R .G. Letourneau
died in her rocking chair. She and her husband
who died a number of years ago now, were faithful
servants of the Lord in the business world. At
a moment of crisis earlier on, together they
declared Jesus Christ to be the Lord of everything
that they had and that they were. At that moment
in their life, they established certain priorities.
And as a result of those priorities, under the
lordship of Jesus Christ, God blessed them. They
experienced the blessing of God in an unusual
way. And when they each died, they died fulfilled.
Knowing that while they were here in the world,
they had fulfilled their function in the body.
They had exercised that function with diligence
and faithfulness. What about when you die? Are
you going to be able to face Jesus Christ that
way? There are some people who are afraid to
give everything to Jesus Christ. But I want to
remind you, when we give everything to Jesus
Christ, we lose nothing. And we gain everything.
Let's pray. With your head bowed, your eyes closed,
the Spirit of God I trust is working in your
heart. If you are not being equipped, if you
don't sense that you're maturing, if you don't
have that sense of fulfillment and purpose in
the church of Jesus Christ, you need to ask yourself
a question. Why is that? If that's the plan of
God, if that's God's purpose, why aren't you
experiencing it? It may be because you're not
saved at all. You need to look at that. The apostle
says examine yourselves whether you be in the
faith. If you pass that test, then you need to
say, Lord, is there something going on in my
life that doesn't please you? He'll tell you.
And when he does, will you give that to him?
Will you bring it under his lordship and make
your priorities what they ought to be? Let him
be the Lord of all. Would you tell him about
it right now? Father, you have established your
Son as the head of the church. And as our victorious
and glorious ascended Lord, Jesus has a plan
for us, which we see in Ephesians 4. I pray that
none of us will be robbed of the excitement and
the fulfillment of seeing that plan realized
in our own lives. As many of us have talked with
you today and perhaps made new commitments or
decisions for change, we pray that you will give
us all that we need to carry through. For you
are Lord and you're worthy. You're worthy of
all the sacrifice that we can bring.