I have to admit, I love gifts. I love giving them and receiving them. Gifts are a great way to express our affection for others. A gift tells someone, "You are important to me and I thought of you when I picked out this particular gift."

God has given us some gifts. In addition to life itself along with the blessings we experience, we have received the gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life through Jesus. Not only that, God has given us spiritual gifts to use in our daily lives as members of the body of Christ to become giving people.

Spiritual gifts are god’s supernatural enablement to empower Christians for loving service. Spiritual gifts are just various ways we love and serve each other. We need not get confused or contentious about the topic of spiritual gifts. As we follow the flow of thought in Romans 12 we find ourselves responding to God’s mercies in the gospel by offering our bodies as living sacrifices (v. 1). Then as mercy-loving, mercy-dependent people, we are transformed by the renewal of our minds as we saturate our minds with God’s truth and grace and we experience God’s will for our lives (v. 2). As mercy-soaked, Christ-exalting renewed people, we humbly give ourselves to the ministry of the body as members of one another (vv. 3-5).

In verses 6-8 of Romans 12 we find a list of spiritual gifts that represent some of the ways God has uniquely endowed His people with grace gifts to be used in the building up of the body of Christ. What follows is a brief explanation and caution about each of these gifts.

Prophecy: The divine enablement to proclaim God’s truth with power and clarity in a timely and practical manner for correction, repentance, or edification. Danger: Tendency to be proud of their speaking ability or to rely on their ability rather than God. In their desire to make things right they may be insensitive to the feelings of other people.

Service: The divine enablement to attach spiritual value to the accomplishment of physical tasks with the body of Christ. Ability to demonstrate love by the meeting of practical needs. Danger: Can be bitter if their deeds are not recognized. Over emphasis on practical needs to the neglect of spiritual needs.

Teaching: The divine enablement to understand and give detailed explanation of biblical truth. Ability to search out and validate truth which has been presented. Danger: Focus on content at the expense of application.

Exhortation: The divine enablement to come alongside another in need of encouragement to reassure, strengthen, affirm, or challenge those who are discouraged or wavering in their faith. Ability to motivate others to trust and obey God. Danger: Spend too much time with people who are needy but not changing.

Giving: The divine enablement to earn money, manage it well, and wisely contribute to the work of the Lord with cheerfulness and liberality. Danger: Pride in their ability to make and invest money, seek a return on investment, desire recognition, desire to control what they’ve given to, or judge the way others handle their money.

Leadership: The divine enablement to see what needs to be done, set goals, and attract, lead, and motivate a group of people to accomplish the work of the ministry. Ability to coordinate the activity of others for the achievement of common goals. Danger: Use people to meet goals, pushy.

Mercy: The divine enablement to minister cheerfully and appropriately to people who are suffering or undeserving and to spare them the consequences of their choices. Ability to identify with and comfort those in distress. Danger: Hard to be firm, may enable others to live in sin by not allowing them to face the consequences of their choices, can be misunderstood by the opposite sex.

Do you know what your gifting is? Are you using your gifting to minister to God’s people? If not, why not? You the gifting God has given you are needed in the ministry. You also need the gifts of others to be exercised in your life. We have a mutually interdependent relationship to each other as Christians. Ask God to help you know His will and live in it as you dedicate your life to Him in response to all He is for you in Jesus. God delights to not only give spiritual gifts, but for us to unwrap them and use them for His glory and the good of His people.

11　And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
12　for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13　until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, [growing]  into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14　Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15　But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. 16　From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part (Eph 4:11-16, HCSB).

The ultimate goal of our gifting and calling by God to serve Him in the church is the growth or maturity of the body. Is that your goal as an individual believer? Verses 13-16 describe what this goal of building up the body of Christ looks like.

The goal defined (v. 13): "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, [growing] into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness." Verse 13 answers the question, "How long will this continue?" Answer: Until we all reach the goal of unity, knowledge, and maturity as measured by Christ Himself. We are to come to complete conformity to Christ as the standard of perfection.

The Marks of Maturity

Verses 14-16 show us the results of attaining the goal of verse 13. First, we will be marked by Truth or doctrinal stability (v. 14): "Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit."

False doctrine is a hook God uses to draw false brethren away from the true church. Genuine believers are known for holding fast to the truth. There are many false teachers who use "human cunning and cleverness" to mislead and exploit people. Another version translates this phrase as: "ingenuity in inventing error" (Goodspeed). True believers do not "invent doctrine" but rather discover the doctrine of Scripture. Cleverness, novelty, and innovation in doctrine are not really things to celebrate in those who teach God’s Word. Faithfulness, clarity, and unity are traits to be praised.

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ (Col 2:8, NKJV).

A second mark of maturity is Love (v. 15): "But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ." Also, in verse 16: "building up itself in love." The phrase "speaking the truth," can be translated "hold the truth," "follow the truth," "pursue the truth," "live in the truth." Also, "let our lives lovingly express truth in all things—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly" (Amplified Bible). How committed are you to truth? Do others see you that way?

How committed are you to love? Do others see you that way?

What do you love? What do you love more than anything else? Henry Scougal wrote, "The worth and excellence of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." You become like that which you love. Do you love Christ? Do you love Him enough to put His priorities and concerns before your own? Tell me what you love and I will tell you the condition of your heart and soul.

A third mark of maturity for the church is Service (v. 16): "From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part."

As we draw our life from Christ our head, the body is nourished and strengthened. The body is seen as a unit, "fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament." How are you supporting the body? Are you joined to the body in such a way as to be supported yourself? This is how the church "promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love." No member of the church is to be left out. We grow into maturity as a church "by the proper working of each individual part."

How should you serve God? How has God gifted you? What ministry has God placed on your heart? There is a place for you that God has uniquely prepared, gifted, and called you to serve.

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody would not do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, (Eph 4:11-12, NKJV).

Here we find the divine plan for ministry. The Lord Jesus has gifted His church with leaders who equip the believers for ministry. Verse 11 lists those Christ has given as gifts to His church: "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." The gifts are the men themselves, not just the capacities given them or the offices they hold.

The first two offices are "apostles" and "prophets." These appear to be limited to the first Christian generation as foundational to the church (cf. 2:20; 3:5). Apostles were those who had seen Christ (1 Cor 9:1-2), were witnesses of His resurrection (Acts 1:8, 21-23), and were immediately commissioned by Him to preach the gospel (Matt 10:5; Gal 1:1). In a broader sense, others closely associated with the apostles directly commissioned by Jesus are also called apostles (Barnabas in Acts 14:4,14; Timothy and Silas in 1 Thess 2:6).

Prophets performed a preaching function; they spoke under the direct inspiration of the Spirit of God. Through them, God gave guidance and instruction to the church when there was no written New Testament (NT). After the writing of the NT, the offices of apostle and prophet appear to have ceased. Evangelists and pastor-teachers are needed for every age and so continue.

The word "evangelists" occurs only three times in the NT, to describe Philip (Acts 21:8), Timothy (2 Tim 4:5), and here in Ephesians 4. It means "one who announces good news." This is a special gifting and ability to preach the gospel clearly and effectively to the unconverted, often in an itinerant ministry. It also may be a special enablement to equip others to share their faith. Our text certainly indicates that the function of these gifted men is for the equipping of the saints for their ministry.

The next office is translated "pastors and teachers." The original Greek text signifies one office with a dual function. Note the text reads "some pastors and teachers" rather than "some pastors and some teachers." When the modifier "some" is used with the conjunction "and" then it applies to both nouns.

Rather than being itinerant, the emphasis of the teaching pastor is on shepherding and instructing in a settled ministry. This office is synonymous with bishop/overseer and elder. We find all three terms used together by Peter:

1　The elders [elder] who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2　Shepherd [pastor] the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers [bishop/overseer] (1 Pet 5:1-2a, emphasis added).

The pastor-teacher is to give himself to the teaching of the Word of God. He is to present every believer under His charge mature in Christ: "Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus"(Col 1:28). They are not to be distracted by other tasks that can be delegated to others (see Acts 6:1-6).

Christ’s gift of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers are given for a specific purpose: "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (v. 12).

The word "equipping" means "to make fully ready." The dictionary defines equip as, "to supply with intellectual, emotional, and spiritual essentials." The believers are equipped "for the work of ministry." We can define "work of ministry" as whatever role God has for you that either directly or indirectly contributes to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. "Ministry" means service; to minister means to serve. Every Christian should be "in the ministry."

And what is this work of ministry or serving supposed to achieve? It all should contribute to "the edifying of the body of Christ." To edify means to build up. It refers to growth in maturity.

The process then is: (1) The gifted men equip the saints, (2) the saints then serve (using their own gifts, (see Rom 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12; 1 Pet 4:10-11), (3) the body is then built up or edified and we all grow into maturity (i.e. Christlikeness). Every Christian is to contribute to this goal.

Every Christian is commissioned, for every Christian is a missionary. It has been said that the gospel is not merely something to come to church to hear but something to go from the church to tell—and we are all appointed to tell it. It has also been said, "Christianity began as a company of lay witnesses; it has become a professional pulpitism, financed by lay spectators!" Nowadays we hire a church staff to do "full-time Christian work," and we sit in church on Sunday to watch them do it. Every Christian is meant to be in full-time Christian service . . . There is indeed a special ministry of pastor-teachers and evangelists – but for what? . . . For the perfecting of the saints for their ministry. –Vance Havner

What an amazing plan God has for us! What a privilege to be part of His church! I trust you are already engaged in ministry or moving in that direction. If not, what is keeping you from it? God has a plan for His church and that plan includes YOU! A body needs all its parts functioning to be healthy. Ask yourself, "Am I doing my part?"

Have you met the Tate family? Every church seems to have some members of the Tate family. Perhaps you have met some of them.

There is old man Dic-Tate who wants to run everything, while Uncle Ro-Tate tries to change everything. There's sister Agi-Tate who stirs up plenty of trouble, with help from her husband, Irri-Tate.

Whenever new projects are suggested, Hesi-Tate and his wife, Vege-Tate, want to wait until next year. Then there is Aunt Imi-Tate, who wants our church to be like all the others. Devas-Tate provides the voice of doom, while Poten-Tate wants to be a big shot.

But not all members of the family are difficult. Brother Facili-Tate is quite helpful in church matters. And a delightful, happy member of the family is Miss Felici-Tate. Cousins Cogi-Tate and Medi-Tate always think things over and lend helpful, steady hands.

And of course there is the black sheep of the family, Ampu-Tate, who has completely cut himself off from the church.

Sound familiar? That humorous story illustrates the diversity found in churches. It is amazing that God has brought people together from such diverse backgrounds to work together as a local church carrying out gospel ministry. While the diversity can sometimes cause friction, God intends that the diversity of members should serve to strengthen the church as each one makes his or her unique contribution.

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says: 
    "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."　　
9 (Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) (Eph 4:7-10, NKJV).

First, observe in v. 7, "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift." Christ is the source of spiritual gifts given to every believer. Spiritual gifts are divinely granted capacities for spiritual service. The purpose of spiritual gifts is for mutual edification. These gifts are sovereignly and graciously given to individual members of Christ’s body. Spiritual gifts are granted to us for the purpose of conducting good works that edify the body.

Secondly, we also learn that Christ’s grace gifts are given "to each one of us." No Christian can rightfully say that he or she has nothing to contribute to the life of the church. Christ not only calls us to spiritual service, He equips us.

Paul next quotes from Psalm 68:18 demonstrating that Christ is the One who leads His people out of captivity. In verse 8 we read, "When He ascended on high." Paul identifies the One who ascended is Christ who "first descended into the lower parts of the earth," v. 9. In His humility, Christ descended to earth in His incarnation to serve us. Possibly, though not likely, it can refer to descent into the grave or Hades, in other words, the death of Christ (cf. Acts 2:27, "For you will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your holy one to see corruption.")

After His resurrection, Jesus "ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things," v. 10. He is the ascended Lord of the universe who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mat 28:18). The extent of His authority is unlimited. His grace and gifts supply sufficiently to every need. He fills all things.

Jesus is Lord of His church. He purchased His bride with the price of His own blood. He has a purpose and a plan for His church. That purpose is to glorify the grace of God among all people. His plan is to give gifts to His church to equip and mobilize the saints of God to spread the Good News. Jesus loves His church and supplies His church. We are His captives being led His glorious train. How wonderful it is to be part of His triumphal procession! We will learn next week about the various gifts Christ gives to His church. But for now, take a moment to thank and praise God for calling you and gifting you to be part of His eternal purpose.