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The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

12/18/2022

Read Ephesians 4:7-16

In my last post, we learned that we have been called to walk in unity with each other. For the Ephesian Christians, this was quite a challenge. Not only were these Gentile converts coming out of paganism and idol worship, but they were adopting for themselves the promises God gave to the Jews. This ultimately caused friction between the Gentile converts and the Jewish converts, which the apostles solved by giving them only three rules to obey: that they abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating animals that were strangled, and from blood (Acts 15:19-20). There was wisdom in this edict because what the Gentiles had come out of (idol worship) involved all those sorts of practices.

But Paul reminds them that there is now one Lord, one faith and one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:6).

And in today's verses, we are shown how God makes that unity possible. We learn in Ephesians 4:7 that to each, "grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift." For the church to remain unified, each member was (and still is) bestowed "a measure of grace," or a gift from God, to be used by each individual to create unity within the body of Christ. So what gifts of grace were available to the early church, and are they still available to us today?

What are Spiritual Gifts
And What is Their Purpose?

All of the gifts were given for the following purposes:

For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.
For the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).

How long are these gifts supposed to last?

Until we all unite in faith and knowledge of the Son of God.
Until we are perfected.
Until we measure up to the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Until we are no longer children, tossed to and fro with every kind of false doctrine.
Until we speak the truth in love, growing up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

So what are the gifts listed in Ephesians?

Apostles
Prophets
Evangelists
Pastors
Teachers

Are there more gifts than these? Yes! They are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:1-10, but we are dealing specifically with what is listed in Ephesians. Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12:28 the order and importance of the gifts - first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations and varieties of tongues. There is much to discuss on Spiritual Gifts, which I will devote attention to in the New Year. For now, the point of the gifts is clear - they were given to further enhance our unity in Christ. One perfect body (the church) is equipped to not only edify and build each other up but to equip us for the work God has called us to do. So if you doubt that you don't have what it takes to fulfill what God has called you to do, rest in the truth of these words - you have already been equipped for your particular ministry. Now, trust God and go!

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Five Ways God Calls Us to Unity

12/4/2022

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Read Ephesians 4:1-6

If you have followed along in my look at Ephesians, you will have noticed a theme by now. Paul was trying to instill in the Gentile converts at Ephesus who they now were in Christ. He was also trying (in a not-so-subtle way) to remind the Jewish converts that because of Christ, the promises given to the Jews also now belonged to the Gentiles. This, of course, could lead to friction. So, since Ephesians chapter one, he has expounded on who they are in Christ and the importance of unity within the body of Christ (aka - the church).

In today's verses, Paul urges the Ephesians to walk in a worthy manner befitting their calling (their new life) to salvation. I think the church as a whole needs to take this to heart. So how do we "walk in unity" with our fellow believers when so many have differing opinions on Scripture and what it says? In today's verses, Paul explains how.

Five Ways God Shows Us How to Walk
In Unity With Each Other

Walk in Humility - The KJV uses the word "lowliness". In other words we are to have a humble opinion of ourselves. The Greek word used is tapeinophrosynē and means "a deep sense of one's moral littleness."

Walk in Gentleness - The Greek word used is praotēs and means "meekness". In today's culture, meekness is not considered a virture, but in the ancient world those who were meek were considered very virtuous. For example, a meek person is one who is guided by God's Spirit and able to accept God's ability to direct events in their lives. Meekness is not a resignation to fate, or a passive submission to life events (there is no virtue in that), but it is more of an ability to see the "larger picture" and is therefore an active and deliberate choice to accept God's sovereignty over all aspects of an individual's life.

Walk in Longsuffering - Longsuffering is an excellent word choice in the KJV because it means patience. This isn't just in reference to someone's personality traits that rub us the wrong way. To practice patience also means that we need to recognize that every individual's spiritual journey is different. Everyone has at some point met that person who insists you are wrong about your beliefs. They question why you go to a certain church and they have "dug in their heels" about what they believe (even if it is contrary to Scripture) to the point where they are more annoying than a mosquito. But what we need to realize and remember when dealing with difficult people, is that God deals with each of us in different ways. What you learned twenty years ago in your walk with God, may take someone else a longer time to learn and accept. But we all get there eventually. We just have to trust the Holy Spirit, who resides in everyone who has accepted Jesus as Saviour, to lead us into all truth, which Scripture has promised He will do (John 16:13). But, that leads us to the next point on keeping unity.

Bearing With One Another in Love - No, this does not mean "putting up with each other". The original Greek uses the word anechō and is translated as "forebear" which means, "to hold up, to sustain, to bear, to endure." In other words, we need to help each other stand firm in our faith in Jesus Christ. So if you see your brother or sister in Christ falling away, or perhaps they have been deceived and are listening to false doctrines like the prosperity gospel for example, don't stand idly by and watch them falter or be deceived, rush in, help them to continue to stand firm on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Help them grow in their faith.

Endeavour to keep unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace - I love the word used for "bond" in Greek. It is syndesmos and it means "that which binds together, a band, a bond." It is the Holy Spirit that unites us. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us peace and because we all share in the same Holy Spirit, we are "banded" together as one. Think about that for a minute! There is no other unity like this on earth in which people are capable of sharing equally. We have different talents, we come in different colours, shapes and sizes, we are some poor and some rich, but it is the Holy Spirit alone that unites us as brother and sister in Christ when we accept Jesus as our Saviour. This peace should be something we all cherish and go out of our way to keep unified.

And so Paul reminds the Ephesians once again (and us) how truly united we are in Christ, with the following words:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:4-6, NKJV).

As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas season, let us rejoice together that we are united as one because of Him.

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Unlocking God's Word

The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

Read Ephesians 4:7-16

What are Spiritual Gifts
And What is Their Purpose?

Five Ways God Calls Us to Unity

Read Ephesians 4:1-6

Five Ways God Shows Us How to Walk
In Unity With Each Other

Archives

Categories

​Unlocking God's Word

The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

Read Ephesians 4:7-16

What are Spiritual GiftsAnd What is Their Purpose?​​

Five Ways God Calls Us to Unity

Read Ephesians 4:1-6

Five Ways God Shows Us How to WalkIn Unity With Each Other​

Archives

Categories

Unlocking God's Word

What are Spiritual Gifts
And What is Their Purpose?

Five Ways God Shows Us How to Walk
In Unity With Each Other