I am always amazed at how the human body works. My right hand and my left hand have different functions from one another and yet they work together to accomplish many tasks. My eye definitely doesn’t have the same function as my foot, but the two work together to help me, for example, hike in the woods. If the whole of my body only had one function, I think the body would be very limited indeed, but because my various parts due diverse jobs, everything works together for my benefit.

Similarly, the Christian church is called a body and I don’t think Paul used that metaphor loosely. Hiss call for unity was not a call to create something that had never existed before. Jesus had already created unity when He formed the Jewish and Gentile believers into one body – the Church. Our job, then as now, is to preserve the unity Jesus has already formed by divine design and creation.

Paul had already discussed this unity in the letter.  There is “one body,” the body of Christ, the church. It is in this “one new man” that all who are saved, Jew or Gentile, are reconciled to God and to each other. There is “one Spirit,” the Holy Spirit, who has sealed us (Ephesians 1:13) and who enables us to grasp the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance, and the surpassing greatness of His power (1:17-19). It is through the Spirit that the church is made the dwelling place of God (2:22).

We all share a common (one) hope, the hope of His calling (1:18), the full enjoyment of the blessings which God has brought about in Christ (1:3). We have one Lord, Jesus Christ, Who redeemed us by His blood and Who is the head of the church (1:7, 22). We all share a common faith, all of us being saved in exactly the same way (Romans 3:19-30; 4:1-16; Galatians 2:16). Whether Jew or Gentile, we all have only one baptism (1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 6:1-11). We all have one God and Father, the Father of Jesus Christ. With so much in common, we can see why Paul could speak of something which already exists in fact, and which needs to be preserved and promoted. The unity which we share because of salvation should show in our practice.

There is an indicated change of subject in verse 7. In Verses 1-6, Paul wrote of what all Christians possess in common, which is the basis of our unity. In verses 7-16, Paul wrote of what Christians possess individually and uniquely, which also contributes to Christian unity.

How can diversity contribute to unity? Consider Adam and Eve in Eden. In what way would Adam and Eve better become one flesh, by being created exactly alike or by being made very different from each other, but in a way that caused them to correspond to each other? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? The differences between Adam and Eve were by divine design, so that their unity would be complete. Apart from each other, they were not complete. This is why God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable [literally, corresponding to] for him” (Genesis 2:18).

Unity in the Church is of a similar fashion. We share in common all of the things mentioned in verses 4-6. Nevertheless, we also are distinct because God has given each of us different spiritual gifts and different spheres of service. As each believer discovers his place of service and does the tasks assigned to him, the whole body grows and fulfills its mission and ministry. (4:16). While echoed in Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:14, and 1 Peter 4:10-11, the list in Ephesians 4 has some unique areas of emphasis.

Paul linked spiritual gifts with the descent and ascent of Jesus through the use of a psalm. Paul had been writing about the attitudes that reflect Christ in our lives, which are attitudes that build Christian unity. The base attitude is humility. Jesus had to humble Himself to enter hell for us so that He might conquer death. His humility allowed Him to once more ascend into Heaven. This is a clear message to us. If, even for Jesus, the way to Heaven was “down”, then the way to greatness is service. If we want to employ spiritual gifts consistently with the Gospel, we must humble ourselves as Jesus humbled Himself.

Paul didn’t provide a long list of gifts; the ones he touched on are a small and distinct group, differing from any other list in the New Testament.  These are gifts that might be called “foundational”. They are necessary and essential for other gifts and ministries.  The apostles and prophets laid the foundation for the church and ministry by inscribing the teaching and doctrine of our Lord (Ephesians 2:20; 3:5). Evangelists proclaim the gospel defined by the apostles and prophets. They are the obstetricians of the faith. And pastor-teachers are the pediatricians. All Christian ministry is dependent upon the operation of these gifts. Although apostles and prophets are probably not still with us today in the way that they were needed in the New Testament churches prior to the availability of the Bible, the latter two gifts continue to function in the church today.

The emphasis in Paul’s writing is not on identifying your gift, but on finding your place of service for the exercise of the gift(s) God has given you. Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Peter 4:10-11 make it seem impossible to be a good steward of God’s grace without knowing what our gift(s) are, but this often becomes an excuse to delay service until one has discovered their gift. Here in Ephesians we find a happy solution. Paul does not urge the saints to “discover their gift”, but to find their place of service in the body of Christ. I believe that when we seek to find a place of service, the gift(s) God has given us will manifest themselves. Identifying our gift(s) might seem difficult, but finding a place of service is not. We know, generally, what God has commanded Christians to do – care for orphans and widows (James 1:27), contribute to the needs of the saints and practice hospitality (Romans 12:13), admonish the unruly and encourage the fainthearted (1 Thessalonians 5:14). If we look around, we’ll find those things that need doing. We should give high prior to those things which we do best, so that we are good stewards of God’s gifts. He’s given us them to enable us to serve. While we serve, we will discover them.

The emphasis here is also not on the individual serving, but on the contribution the individual makes to the corporate body of Christ. Yes, individuals are addressed here and each believer has his/her own unique set of gifts, but the emphasis falls on the church. Often lessons on spiritual gifts are directed so as to put the gifted person in the place of prominence. Thus status is attached to the gift and people find themselves becoming haughty and superior because of the significance of their gifts. While significance is an important motivator for people, the focus is wrong when we’re considering ministry. Spiritual gifts are not given to us for our benefit; they are given to build up the body of Christ through our service. They facilitate church ministry for the church is Christ’s visible manifestation on the earth.

Not so long ago, I had a conversation with a local pastor who left Southern Baptist circles to become a non-denominational minister at a large church. He must have said 25 times in the course of an hour lunch “How is your church ministering to you?” This betrays a problem for me, because I believe that believers today go to church, often, to be ministered to rather than to minister. They seek a blessing, rather than becoming the blessing. They care less about whether Christ was exalted in the church service or others edified, and ask instead “Was I blessed?” They use their gifts to glorify themselves rather than to glorify Jesus.

Every spiritual gift has its own particular function. Paul set forth the goal of every gift functioning in the corporate body for the maturity of the church. When each member of the body ministers to the body of Christ, the church is built up toward the goal of Christ-likeness.

Paul contrasted maturity and immaturity within the church. The early church passed through its stage of infancy and individual churches also began at the “child” stage and grew to maturity. The same is true of individual believers. We all start out in need of aid in our walk. Paul focused on the instability and vulnerability of children, who have short attention spans and innocent spirits. Children are gullible. An immature church is unstable, given to doctrinal shifts based upon the latest fad and easily seduced by religious con artists.

Paul didn’t want this for the Ephesian church. His goal was for the church to grow up to maturity through the active involvement and ministry of the individual members who were also in the act of maturing. A mature church is marked by doctrinal purity and stability and by members who are able to discern when someone holds a different doctrine and refuse to turn away from the truth. A mature church is growing in Christlikeness. Not that any individual or body of believers ever reaches complete maturity, but we should be marked as growing toward that goal. A hallmark of the mature church would be a commitment to the truth of God’s revealed Word and a desire to be more like Jesus every day. An acceptance of His Headship would require an acknowledgment that we are not, nor will we ever be, the head of the Church. Jesus is the only Head of His church.

A Christian’s conduct is supposed to be based upon and consistent with his calling in Christ. We are called to become active, functioning members of the body of Christ. As the church is the dwelling place of God in the Spirit, Christians should demonstrate their obedience as we fulfill our calling. Christian unity is not optional; it’s a mandate. We possess it and we are called to preserve it, but we are also called to strive for more of it. It is preserved through a servant spirit, whereby believers respond to God by being gracious to our fellow Christians, recognizing that none of us is perfect.

It is important to answer a couple of questions for yourself. Are you in the body of Christ? I don’t mean do you belong to a church or denomination, although I think these are important. What I am asking is – have you trusted Jesus as God’s only way to salvation? Have you received eternal life by trusting that Jesus died in your place, suffered for your sins, and rose from the dead? This is the mark of one who is “born again” – a member of His church. Nothing else buys you a ticket on the salvation train.

The second question is similar. Are you an active part of a local church? The Bible never shows anyone coming to faith in Christ apart from an association with a local church where they could find a place of service to the body of Christ. This does not mean that your primary service will only be within a local church, but every saint should be associated and involved in a local church. This will aid you in your maturity in Christ, but it will also allow you to strengthen Christ’s body as well.

The individual and the corporate body work hand in hand. This is an important relationship that many modern Christians try to negate, but if you are to grow in Christ the way that He would have you to grow, you must first come to Him by faith and then associate yourself with others who have come to Him by faith. It is in this association that you find accountability, support, correction, admonishment, a place to use the gifts God has given you, and praise for your growth. Just as an infant does not start out living on its own, a new Christian was meant to join a local congregation of Christ’s family. The primary purpose for doing so, however, is not to be fed, but to feed. We are meant to be ministers for Jesus Christ.

Modern Christians tend to skip the phrase “for the training of the saints in the work of ministry”. We bring our own theology to this passage, hoping we can leave the ministry to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, preachers and teachers. God doesn’t give us that option. The last group of people involved in ministry is the saints, (hagioi, holy ones). It does not mean “those who are holier than thou.” It does not mean the super-bionic spiritual ones in a congregation. “Saints” is the most popular word in the New Testament to represent Christians (believers, followers of Christ). If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, then you are a saint, scripturally speaking. We have a dilemma in this passage. Think with me about the implications of this passage. For many of you, this will require a paradigm shift in your thinking about how church works.

According to this passage, a church does not hire full-time, paid pastoral staff to do the work of ministry. Huh!?? You mean, when we pass the collection plate, we aren’t paying the pastor, etc., to do the work we’re too busy to do? Then what are we paying them for?!!!!

For many of us, this is a major paradigm shift. You pay pastors, etc. to equip you -- to prepare you, the saints, to do the work of ministry. Okay, breathe into the paper bag a few times while it sinks in. Christ has given gifts to individuals so that those individuals can EQUIP THE SAINTS (who have other gifts) to do the work of the ministry.

Many of us stand back and watch the “leaders” minister, but we are the ministers. Christ has given us that job. Where do you stand? If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you should at least be in the growing stage, focusing on your relationship with the Lord. Eventually, you should outgrow that stage, eating the “solid food” of doctrine rather than the “milk” of the gospel alone. It is time to move on to the serving stage, accomplished by taking your gaze off yourself while continuing to grow, and focusing outward in serving others.

It is not acceptable for Christians to remain spiritual babies. There is an expectation of personal and corporate growth. We are not children at the mercy of trickery and fancy arguments. We are growing up (verses 15 and 16) “in all things … into Christ, Who is the head.” In verses 15 and 16, the phrase “growing up” is repeated three times. Maturity is the purpose of ministry.

Christ gave these five gifts to the church to equip/train the saints for the work of ministry, which is to aid the body of Christ in order to grow up collectively. What does a healthy, growing body of Christ look like? The specifics will depend on the size of the congregation and the location of the building, plus a number of other factors, but generally what you will find in a healthy congregation is a sizeable group of unpaid volunteers who are busy growing together to provide services to the congregation and any visitors, plus people outside of the congregation. Rather than people standing about gossiping about one another or complaining about politics or the weather, you’ll find people busy about the Lord’s work. That will differ with every congregation, with the ministry or ministries God has given to that group of believers. If you find a church that is pastor-driven and staffed by a large group of paid ministers, you should probably be wary because it is likely the leaders are not equipping the lay people to be the true ministers of Christ they are commanded to be.

The body of Christ, functioning and collectively growing as a community, is a glorious thing to see! Each individual involved has the same 24-hour clock and the same time restrictions as the pew-sitters, yet each has looked at their schedule and found opportunities for service to the body – within the building of meeting as well as outside of the walls. Each has come to understand that the ministry of Christ was meant to be done by Christians working individually and in community and that if individual Christians stop doing their job, the church might as well turn out the lights and go home because true ministry is no longer happening.

Look in the mirror! If you are a Christian, you are meant to be a minister. Discover what gifts God has given you, find out how to best develop those gifts, and then get busy for the gospel of Jesus Christ!