Daily Bread 2011 - Ephesians 4
Daily Bread Together 2011: Ephesians 4:1-5,11-16
Unity in the Body of Christ
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. 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. 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s 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 men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into 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.
What Does This Mean?
Verse 1 has great meaning for us. Though we are saved by grace and there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love or grace (Eph 2:8), our response to that same grace is what Paul is talking about when he urges us to “live a life worthy of the calling we have received”. Sometimes we talk about a calling only in terms of pastors or other full time persons (i.e. missionaries) being called into ministry. But, Paul makes it clear here that we are all called!
Martin Luther used these verses to develop a ground breaking doctrine during the Protestant Reformation called: “The priesthood of all believers”. The idea being we are all little priests and part of God’s plan to reconcile the whole world to Himself through Christ and His Church. The first 5 verses emphasize the unity we have in Christ, and how important it is to preserve that unity in the Church.
Notice all the “ones”. We are all one in Christ, not just a bunch of individuals.
Then, notice in verses 11-16, that although we are one, each of us has a different function in the body of Christ. Verse 11 mentions some of the key leadership roles in the church (i.e. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers). Importantly these leaders are called to equip and prepare God’s people for works of service (not try to do it all themselves!).
What Does This Mean For Us?
It means that a church is healthy when two things are present. One, when it is unified in its life together around the person of Christ. Second, when each person is carrying out the ministry God has called them to as part of living a life worthy of the calling we have received. In a sense this is your new calling as a believer. While many will not be called into full-time ministry (i.e. keep your day jobs!), all of us are called to be part of building up God’s Church here on earth until it has fulfilled its purpose in making disciples of all nations.
This is something we all get to be a part of. I meet many who are not feeling very fulfilled in their lives and wonder if there is more to life than this. The answer is “Yes there is!” The “more” is being part of God’s plan to save the world and bring people to heaven for all of eternity. If that doesn’t give someone meaning, I am not sure what will! Take a moment today and reflect that you are called by God to be part of the Church and God has called you of the world to participate in His Great Commission. My job as a pastor is to equip you to do if effectively!
Gracious God, we thank you that you have called us to be part of Your Bride, the Church. Help us to realize that part of living a life worthy of our calling is to learn how we can be a part of the Church’s growth and expansion to reach all people for Christ and in the power of Your Spirit, Amen.
Unity in the Body of Christ
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. 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. 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s 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 men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into 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.
What Does This Mean?
Verse 1 has great meaning for us. Though we are saved by grace and there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love or grace (Eph 2:8), our response to that same grace is what Paul is talking about when he urges us to “live a life worthy of the calling we have received”. Sometimes we talk about a calling only in terms of pastors or other full time persons (i.e. missionaries) being called into ministry. But, Paul makes it clear here that we are all called!
Martin Luther used these verses to develop a ground breaking doctrine during the Protestant Reformation called: “The priesthood of all believers”. The idea being we are all little priests and part of God’s plan to reconcile the whole world to Himself through Christ and His Church. The first 5 verses emphasize the unity we have in Christ, and how important it is to preserve that unity in the Church.
Notice all the “ones”. We are all one in Christ, not just a bunch of individuals.
Then, notice in verses 11-16, that although we are one, each of us has a different function in the body of Christ. Verse 11 mentions some of the key leadership roles in the church (i.e. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers). Importantly these leaders are called to equip and prepare God’s people for works of service (not try to do it all themselves!).
What Does This Mean For Us?
It means that a church is healthy when two things are present. One, when it is unified in its life together around the person of Christ. Second, when each person is carrying out the ministry God has called them to as part of living a life worthy of the calling we have received. In a sense this is your new calling as a believer. While many will not be called into full-time ministry (i.e. keep your day jobs!), all of us are called to be part of building up God’s Church here on earth until it has fulfilled its purpose in making disciples of all nations.
This is something we all get to be a part of. I meet many who are not feeling very fulfilled in their lives and wonder if there is more to life than this. The answer is “Yes there is!” The “more” is being part of God’s plan to save the world and bring people to heaven for all of eternity. If that doesn’t give someone meaning, I am not sure what will! Take a moment today and reflect that you are called by God to be part of the Church and God has called you of the world to participate in His Great Commission. My job as a pastor is to equip you to do if effectively!
Gracious God, we thank you that you have called us to be part of Your Bride, the Church. Help us to realize that part of living a life worthy of our calling is to learn how we can be a part of the Church’s growth and expansion to reach all people for Christ and in the power of Your Spirit, Amen.
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