Ephesians 4:12-13

Then when he gets to the rest of the body, he tells us that the ministry is for the equipping of the saints. This indicates that God knows full well that the saints are not going to be equipped, in the beginning, to be able to do their part. Right? Right!

This is not referring to knowledge about the Son of God, but the Son of God's knowledge! There is a difference between the two. He is actually talking about the same thing that Peter was in II Peter 3:18: to "grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ." Again, not knowledge about Christ, but the knowledge of Christ

Now we are beginning to see that everyone in the body has a responsibility to create an environment in which growth can take place. Are you with me? Do you agree with what I am saying?

Do you want to grow? How? What is the message here? I am going to tell you what the message is. Everyone has to make sure that they, themselves, are growing. That is what creates the environment. You cannot wait for someone else to do it. You have to do it! I have to do it! And if I do it myself, I will begin to contribute to the unity of the body. I will be contributing to the environment of growth. So if I am getting in harmony with the way of God, these things will be produced. "It causes..."

This shows that the ministry is a key in this process and that it is a gift given for this very purpose. It also shows that each part of the body has a responsibility to share in the process of building up in love. We find in other places, which we will not go into at this time, that those who divide the body are to be gotten rid of.

Now, notice this word, love. Why is this here in the context of growth and unity? There is a reason for this: love is one of the major directions we will move toward as we grow.

At the beginning of this sermon I said that I wanted to make sure that something was clearly established: Christian growth is not something that automatically takes place simply because one receives the Spirit of God. It occurs because one takes steps to yield to God to make sure that it occurs. And that is everyone's responsibility. The responsibility for this does not just fall on the ministry. It is not just the church's responsibility. It is each individual's responsibility to make sure that they are contributing to that. So every joint has to supply and that causes growth!

If people do nothing, or divide, weakness and degeneration occur just as in the analogy with regard to feeding ourselves and being responsible for our physical health.

Ephesians 4:12-16

Even as Jesus Christ was the Father's gift to the church, Christ's gift to the church is the ministry. Now, for what reason? Notice how specific this is.

We'll confine ourselves here to general statements regarding the ministry's area of authority. It is in the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry (or, serving) and for the edifying of the body of Christ.

Equipping is interesting in what the word means. It means, to set in order. In other words, it is saying that something is not aligned properly, and it needs to be realigned, and put into the proper alignment.

What is out of line is our knowledge of God, our knowledge of truth, our knowledge of His way of life. Our character is out of line. And so, God has given a gift to the church in the form of the ministry, to help put people in right alignment with God.

They will therefore be equipped for the work of the ministry—which is a work of service. Serving God. Glorifying God in one's witness. That might include everything from preaching the gospel in evangelistic settings, or administering to local congregations.

Now, edifying means "to promote the spiritual growth of." It becomes very clear that the ministry's area of authority has to do with teaching. There is administrative responsibility as well, but the administrative responsibility has to do with the work of the church. It does not have to do with having magisterial authority in people's lives—dictating to them about what they can do, and what they cannot do. The minister is a teaching machine. That's where his authority lies.

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."

Ephesians 4:12-13

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:

In fact, we may never be unified as long as we are human. The unity will come in the Kingdom of God. But until then, there are going to be differences that are going to separate us.