Ephesians 4:11 - Forerunner Commentary

Ephesians 4:11

9 ^a(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also¹ first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He who descended is also the One ^awho ascended far above all the heavens, ^bthat He might fill all things.)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, ^afor the edifying of ^bthe body of Christ,

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith ^aand of the knowledge of the Son of God, to ^ba perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 that we should no longer be ^achildren, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of ^bdeceitful plotting,

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Ephesians 4:11-13

There is authority in the ministry, but it is narrow and specific. It is seen as, what I would call, "a staff position"—given by God, as a gift to the church, for equipping the saints for service and for edifying the Body of Christ (so that we can all grow up into Christ).

A key word here, in regard to the ministry, is "equipping." This word is used in regards to medicine for the setting of a bone. In politics, it is used in bringing opposing parties together. In Mark 1, it is used for the mending of fishing nets. In Galatians 6, it is used of instructing a church member so that he is fit to take his place in fellowship again. The basic idea of this word is putting something in the condition it ought to be in.

It is the ministry's responsibility to God, in behalf of the church, to put the church member into the condition that they ought to be in. The function, then, of the ministry is to see that the church members are so educated, so guided, so cared for, and so sought for (when they go astray) that they become what they ought to be. Their aim is to see that this work of service (ministry) goes on—beyond themselves. "Ministry" means "practical service."

The concept here is always one of construction. It is positive, showing up in the word "edifying." It means, "building up." (We are talking about the work of the ministry here.) It is always one of construction towards unity. "Till we all come to. . . the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

Excerpted from Government (Part Seven) by John W. Ritenbaugh

Ephesians 4:11-12

The purpose of the ministry is to equip. They are a tool or a means through which the Christian is equipped to serve God. We have the Spirit of God, so the enabling power is there. God recognizes our human frailties and so He gives gifts to certain individuals that are a part of His church, to guide and teach the others. So, the purpose of the ministry is:

Excerpted from Four Views of Christ (Part 1) by John W. Ritenbaugh

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