Ephesians 4:1-16
I believe that one of a pastor’s roles is to give the church a vision for its development and its forward movement. When I speak of “vision,” I mean a picture of a better and brighter future. I think the beginning of the year is a good time to share the pastoral vision. Well, here it is.
My vision for our church in 2006 is grounded in Ephesians 4:1-16. There it speaks first of unity and then of growth. I believe these are the two central things for our church in the new year — to preserve our unity and to grow through “the proportional working of each individual part.”
A LIFE WORTHY OF OUR CALLING
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Look here: the apostle, who at this very moment is a prisoner — that is, a sufferer for his faith — pleads with the Ephesians, and with us as well, to live worthy of the calling to which we have been called. What is this “calling”? Earlier in the letter, at the end of the second chapter, he says:
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
What is our calling? To be “fellow citizens with God’s people.” In another place, in Philippians 3:20, the apostle Paul says that “our citizenship is in heaven.”
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, (Philippians 3:20)
We belong to God and we are part of God’s kingdom. More than that, here the apostle Paul says that we are “members of his household.” This is the church. It is the family of faith, the family of God. Besides this, the apostle Paul says that we are God’s temple — “a holy temple in the Lord.” This temple must remain united and undivided. “Fellow citizens with God’s people,” “members of his household,” and “a holy temple in the Lord” — this is our calling. It is great. It is glorious. But, on top of all that, it is also a responsibility. We have the responsibility to live as the people we actually are. And to succeed, we need to be “completely humble,” “gentle,” and “patient.” Love and peace are the bond between us as living stones who are “being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Do you see? The church is not the building. The church is us — the “fellow citizens with God’s people,” the “members of his household,” who have been redeemed through the precious blood of the Lord in order to make up his body.
THE SEVENFOLD UNITY
And the body of Christ is one.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
This is the sevenfold unity on which the unity among us is based.
- One body — the church of the born again;
- One Spirit — the Holy Spirit;
- One hope — the blessed hope of the resurrection from the dead;
- One Lord — Jesus Christ;
- One faith — the faith of Christ;
- One baptism — in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
- One God and Father — there is no other God besides him.
This astonishing unity flows out of the triune nature of God. Since there is only one Father (a heavenly Father), there is only one family. Since there is only one Lord Jesus Christ, there is only one faith, only one hope, and only one baptism. Since there is only one Holy Spirit, there is only one body. May God help us to preserve our unity. Seven are the things that bind us together, and one is the one who wants to divide us — Satan. He is the one who “stirs up conflict in the community” (Proverbs 6:19); he is the one who slanders us before God at all times (Revelation 12:10); he is the one who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But when we resist him, he flees from us (James 4:7)!
WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH?
From here on in this fourth chapter of the letter to the Ephesians, which we are examining, the apostle begins to deal with growth. But he does not begin to speak of growth before he has laid the foundation of unity. Do you see? Unity is the precondition for growth. Without unity there is no growth. Without unity there is only ruin and destruction. That is why Satan attacks us precisely there. Irritation, talking behind one another’s backs, grumbling — these are Satan’s weapons. May God give us the discernment to recognize them and the strength to neutralize them.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (Ephesians 4:7-8)
The first thing we see here is that the growth of the church is a shared responsibility. It is not the responsibility of the pastor alone; it is not the responsibility of the church council alone. The grace and the gifts that Christ has given us for ministry are for everyone. It does not say, “to some of us.” It says, “to each one of us,” “to each one of us”! Of course, the measure differs. To one more is given, to another less. But we cannot be angry with anyone over this, because the measure is not determined by any human being, but by the Lord Jesus himself. He is the one who gives the gifts. He is the one who determines the measure. But either way, there is a gift for everyone.
Another interesting thing we see here, connected with the growth of the church, is that there are instructors who teach us the doctrine of Christ and lead us toward unity of faith, but the work of growth itself is done by everyone.
SOME TO BE APOSTLES…
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, (Ephesians 4:9-11)
Here I cannot help but say something about the apostles. In the New Testament we read of twelve apostles — those whom he chose and who became the foundation of the church. Judas, who became the traitor, was replaced by Matthias. The choice of Matthias shows what the requirements were for someone to be among the number of the twelve — to have been with the apostolic group throughout the whole time of Christ’s ministry on earth and to have been a personal witness of the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 1:15-26). You yourselves understand that by the very nature of the circumstances, the first apostles, as eyewitnesses of Christ’s resurrection, could not have successors. Their authority is preserved in the Holy Scripture of the New Testament. Today there are also people who call themselves apostles, but their authority has nothing to do with the authority of the twelve apostles. Regardless of their titles or ranks, they are nothing more than present-day pastors. And if that is what they are, I do not understand the point of calling themselves “apostles.”
CHRIST’S PLAN FOR THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Do you grasp the sequence? This is Christ’s plan for the growth of the church. At the highest level is Christ himself. He is the head of the church. He is the source of growth. He is the one who gives the instructors to the church. He is the one who binds us together into one. He is the one who gives grace to each one of us.
On the second level are the instructors in the body — the fivefold ministry — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. They are the ones who prepare us for service and who coordinate our actions. Their goal is to prepare the church for service, to spur the believers on toward maturing, to bring us to unity of faith and to maturity. Unity of faith and maturity, in turn, will make us unshakable by the winds of deception and will strengthen us so that we can work for the growth of the body.
On the third level are all the rest in the body — the saints, who do the work of service, all the individual parts, who under the direction of the “ligaments” — that is, the instructors in the body — act according to their gifts in order to produce the growth of the body, so that this body may make God known on the earth.
Do you see? Jesus has two bodies. One was the body in which he became incarnate in the womb of the virgin Mary. That was the body with which he walked this earth and carried out his ministry. That was the body which was crucified at Golgotha, which was buried, which rose again, and with which he ascended into heaven. His other body is the church. This is stated in a whole series of New Testament passages, such as Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:23; 5:30; Colossians 1:18, 24; 3:15. The two bodies of Jesus are different, but they have the same mission (with the exception of the crucifixion). If the church wants to understand what Jesus wants to do in body number two, then it must look at what he did in body number one. And what did Jesus do while he was in his body? He made God known among people, he preached the kingdom of God, he helped the suffering and the needy. He worshiped God, he prayed and sought his face. This is what we too must do.
THE WRONG PARADIGM OF THE CHURCH
But which “we”? Only the pastor and the church council? No. Everyone! Look, there is a wrong paradigm in the church. And it is the paradigm that the pastor and the church council are the ones who must do all the work — “after all, that’s why we chose them”… I believe that this paradigm stops the growth of the church.
And when I say “paradigm,” let me first explain to you what this word means. A paradigm is a rule accepted as true, which is assumed will never change. It is an assumption on the basis of which we look at the world, and on the basis of which we make decisions — something taken for granted.
To help you understand what a paradigm is, let me give you the following example. In 1968 the question arose of who would dominate the world market for watches. This came about because of a shift in the paradigm of what watches ought to be. At that time the Swiss held 65% of the world watch market. They had been producing watches since 1900. They invented the second hand. By 1980 the Swiss controlled less than 10% of the market. What changed things was the invention of electronic watches. The problem was that the Swiss paradigm was that watches had to be mechanical. A Swiss man invented the quartz watch, but no one was interested in his invention. The Japanese company Seiko, however, did not have this paradigm. They bought the patent for the quartz watch and began producing watches that were cheaper and more accurate than mechanical ones. So Switzerland lost its dominance of the watch market, because it refused to change its paradigm of what watches ought to be.
Another interesting example of a paradigm is the national psychology of Bulgarians in comparison with the other Balkan peoples. The paradigm of the other Balkan peoples is “either-or” — either me or you. That is why the Balkans have been called the “powder keg” of Europe. The Bulgarian paradigm, however, is not “either-or,” but “both-and” — we accept everyone and are ready to live together with everyone without being irritated by their differences. In the center of Sofia there is a church, a mosque, and a synagogue. For years in Bulgaria, Bulgarians, Muslims, Jews, Roma, and Armenians have lived in peace. That is why Bulgaria is regarded as a “stabilizing factor for peace in the Balkans.” Do you see? A single paradigm can determine whether there will be war or whether there will be peace, whether there will be gain or loss.
Why do we need paradigms? Every day we receive thousands of pieces of information. If we had to process all of it afresh, we would be overwhelmed. So we resort to paradigms — decisions or assumptions we have already reached and decided no longer to call into question. Not all of our paradigms are bad, but if there are better ones, then those better ones must take the place of the old.
The church is full of paradigms. If we want it to be healthy, we must from time to time review our paradigms and distinguish the good ones from the not-so-adequate and even bad ones. Some churches never draw a distinction between what is from God, what is from the Bible, and what is from tradition — the time of services, how the church building ought to look, the order of the service, and so on. The moment our paradigms drag the church backward, we must rethink them, and if they are based only on traditions and not on the Bible, we must change them.
So, one such wrong paradigm, in my view, is that the pastor and the church council are the ones who must do the work in the church, while the others simply sit in their chairs or in their pews and do nothing — or, what is worse, grumble and complain about what the more active people in the church are doing.
Such a mistaken notion perhaps arose when the church was divided into clergy and laity, into priests and parishioners. But if the laity or the parishioners in the church are passive, then how can we expect growth and development? This limits the church to the potential of only one person or a few. But one person or a few cannot do anything. That is why, in my view, this paradigm is wrong.
But let us compare it with the Word of God. In this passage that we read, what do we see? The source of growth is God, but who produces it? Is it the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and the teachers? No. They teach the saints the work of service. Who are the saints? Every single part of the body. The saints are the laity or the parishioners in the church. They are the ones who produce the growth of the church through their service. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers only teach them how to serve God better.
So, think about it: which paradigm is better — ours or the biblical one? And if the biblical paradigm is better, then let each one ask himself the question: “What do I need to change in my own attitude, so that I may begin to do my part for the growth of the church?”
Let us take as an example the visiting of the sick or the elderly who cannot come to church. Is it only the pastor who must visit them? Yes, he undoubtedly must visit the people of his church, but is he the only one? Or again, when someone has a need, is it only the pastor who must pray for that person — is only his prayer heard?
IT WOULD NOT BE RIGHT FOR US TO NEGLECT THE WORD OF GOD IN ORDER TO WAIT ON TABLES
In Acts 6:1-7 we read of the first conflict in the church.
1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7)
Look: when the people multiply, one person or a few cannot meet the needs of everyone. It is necessary for others to be included as well. In this case the apostles were the instructors. And to be a good instructor, you must “give your attention to the word and to prayer.” This is the responsibility of leaders — to present the Word of God faithfully to the people. To be a good instructor, you must care not only for your own preparation, but also for your children and your family. One person cannot do all the work. That is why the apostles said: “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.”
But here I would also like to draw your attention to something else. The people who were being placed into service had the necessary qualities for it. Those who were to see to the fair distribution of the needs of the widows had to be people “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.”
This is my vision for 2006, and I believe that it is also God’s vision. A vision for unity and a vision for growth. And in both — in unity and in growth — every single one of you takes part, the whole church.
If we look at the history of our church up to this point, we will see that always, when we have been united, we have succeeded. And conversely, always, when Satan has managed to set us against one another in some way, God’s work has suffered. So let us decide. First, to be united — together and knit as one; and second, for each one of us to discover his calling and to find his place in the ministry of the church. Only in this way, through unity and service, will we grow and bring glory to God. For everything, in the end, is for his glory. Amen.