H.I.S. L.A.M.P.

Ephesians 4:11-20 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: [14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; [15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ: [16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. [17 ] This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, [18 ]  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: [19 ]  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. [20 ]  But ye have not so learned Christ;

Our text starts out with this:

Ephesians 4:11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"

Let's start with the first two words, "And He"... Who is "He"? Why, Jesus Christ our Lord, of course. It is He who gives His Bride, the Church, the spiritual gifts necessary to grow as it ought to grow. We know that the Spirit of God "divides" or parcels out the spiritual gifts as He so deems best:

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
[8  ]  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; [9  ]  To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; [10  ]  To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: [11  ]  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."

So it is the Spirit who actually doles out the gifts. However, we must understand that it is JESUS who sent the Spirit of God, and JESUS who paid the price for our reception of these gifts, and that JESUS IN COOPERATION with the SPIRIT brings these gifts to us:

John 14:16-18  "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [17  ]  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. [18  ]  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

As God is Triune, and works within His Person for our benefit, without confusion or battle, Jesus divides these gifts to His Church. He paid for this Church, this Ekklesia, and therefore has a vested interest in its growth. Though Jesus gives many gifts to the Church (refer back to 1 Corinthians 12:7-11), in Ephesians Paul focuses ONLY on certain gifts:

Ephesians 4:11 "And he gave some, apostles ...", apostolos {pronounced ap-os'-tol-os}, this word has both a NARROW as well as a WIDER sense in the Scripture. The initial apostles were Church builders, hand picked by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and a witness of the risen Savior (Matthew 10:1-2). But in the BROADER sense an apostle was a MESSENGER, one who carried the Word of God out into the world, such as in the case of  Titus and others:

2 Corinthians 8:23  "Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you: or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers (apostolos) of the churches, and the glory of Christ."

So in the BROAD sense, apostles or apostolos was also a word used to describe MESSENGER functions from within the Body of Christ, moving outward and telling others of the Word of God BETWEEN LOCAL CHURCHES.

Ephesians 4:11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; [prophetes {pronounced prof-ay'-tace}]  ..."

The second gift mentioned is that of the prophet. God used the prophet to speak to His Church, that is, the Word of God came from God through the prophets. Just as it was with the apostle, the prophetic gift focused on the IMPORTANCE OF GOD'S WORD to the Church:

1 Corinthians 14:3-4 "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. [4]    He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church."

And it is that Word, that Word alone that builds up the Church. The third gift mentioned:

Ephesians 4:11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; [ euaggelistes {pronounced yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace'} ]  ..."

The evangelist was, literally, "the bringer of good tidings or good news", and was one who promoted the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Timothy, sent out to preach by Paul, was one of the early evangelists of the Church, as was the Deacon Philip:

2 Timothy 4:5  "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

Acts 6:3-5 "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you SEVEN MEN OF HONEST REPORT, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. [4  ]  But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. [5  ]  And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:"

Acts 21:8  "And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of PHILIP THE EVANGELIST, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE SEVEN; and abode with him."

The evangelist, therefore, had the wonderful job of telling others of the GOSPEL, the WORD OF SALVATION through JESUS Christ. Again, the emphasis is on the Word of God, not on our Word.

Ephesians 4:11-20 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors [poimen {pronounced poy-mane' }]  and teachers [didaskalos {pronounced did-as'-kal-os} ]  "

Finally, the Savior gave His Church the gift(s) of pastor and teacher. The pastor [poimen]  is the SHEPHERD of the Church. This title emphasizes the truth that the pastor's concern must first and foremost be to lead the flock he is entrusted with to a proper feeding ground, a proper understanding of God's Word. The Word of God, rightly divided, causes growth in the Church, and the pastor or shepherd of the flock must be careful to lead the flock to God's Word, not his own enfeebled word. Likewise the teacher [didaskalos] must be careful that the Word he teaches is the Word of God, not his own word or opinion. The spiritual gifts listed in Ephesians all had this in common: they verbally proclaimed the Word of God, they specialized in focusing the Word in a different way to and through the Body for its growth - and each gift is important for the Body's growth. The Gifts were given to promote the WORD OF GOD.

Ephesians 4:12-16 "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: [14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  [15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ: [16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

Perhaps one of the greatest reasons that the Church of Jesus Christ has failed to grow as it ought is because its gifted leaders HAVE FORGOTTEN that their gifts were given to them to promote GOD's WORD ALONE. Perhaps the Church has hit a rocky road because the flock has tried to control where it would feed itself, rather than relying on feeding from the Word of God through their God called pastors and teachers. Yet, rather than set blame on one side or the other, let us re-focus on this truth:

There is NO GROWTH in the Church unless the Word of God reigns supreme. That Word was given to us by a Savior who loves us. That Word was given for:

Ephesians 4:12 "For the perfecting of the saints ...". Perfecting in the KJV is, literally, the Greek katartismos {pronounced kat-ar-tis-mos}, meaning "the equipping". When a soldier goes into battle he or she must be equipped to fight that battle. That equipment MUST be both physical (guns, etc.) and mental (the knowledge necessary to defeat the enemy). The Word of God was given to us by a loving Savior to equip us to OVERCOME in this present world.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17]    That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

We as a Church cannot be furnished or equipped for battle or service in God's cause unless that furnishing come through God's Word.

Ephesians 4:12 "... for the work of the ministry"

The work of the ministry is not BUILDING large facilities to call them "Church", but to serve among the flock so as to SPIRITUALLY build and strengthen that body of believers.

Ephesians 4:12  "... for the edifying of the body of Christ .."

To "edify", oikodome {pronounced oy-kod-om-ay'} means to "build up" or "strengthen". The gifts were given to supply the Word of God to the Body so that it could be FURNISHED or EQUIPPED for service, so that it might REACH OUTWARD into the world and tell others about Christ, and so that it might EDIFY itself by growing in the knowledge of the Savior. All spiritual gifts follow this same pattern: they edify the Body of Christ as a whole when they are properly executed, and when they are properly focused on the Word of God.

The spoken Word must be presented to the flock HONESTLY, PURELY, and in LOVE. The gifted members of the Church must always be heedful that they speak for God, and transmit His Word, and the flock must always be mindful that, only by submission to God's Word can they grow.

Psalms 18:30  "As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him."

Proverbs 30:5  "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him."

1 Thessalonians 2:13  "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."

The Word, delivered in love, must be received and APPLIED in your lives if you expect it to furnish spiritual growth. That Word effectually works in those who believe.

Finally, as the Church of Christ, a Church purchased with the blood of the risen Savior, we MUST be careful to never, NEVER dilute that Word which He has provided with our own human viewpoint:

Ephesians 4:17-20  "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, [18 ]  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: [19 ]  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. [20 ]  But ye have not so learned Christ;"

The Apostle warns us to avoid the human viewpoint thinking that so pervades the world around us. We are the Church OF CHRIST, not of the world. We are the Church purchased by Jesus to, supernaturally, operate within the will and realm of His Word.

2 Corinthians 4:2  "But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."

We will, we MUST follow the pattern of the early Church in devotion to the Word of God. We will, we MUST reject any teaching that cannot be supported, clearly supported, by the Word of God. The Scripture states:

Psalms 119:105  "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Here is our strength, our hope - HIS LAMP.
 

H istory of the text
I mmediate and extended context
S pirituality of the text

L anguage of the original manuscripts
A ddress - To whom is the text speaking?
M editation and prayer as we study the text
P urposely applying the teaching of the text to my life

May God grant us as His Church, the Bride of Christ, to follow the Word of Life.

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