We are to grow up...

Ephesians 4:1-16 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Unity of the Spirit

4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, ³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”

⁹ (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) ¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴ As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Paul is exhorting the church to: “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,  being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It is one thing for the church to be at disunity with the world. That should not surprise us. Jesus Himself says:   18"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19"If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.…(John 15:18-19) So the fact that there is disunity between the world and the church is not surprising. The fact that there is so much disunity within the church, both within the entire church, Christ’s body worldwide and within individual communities and fellowships is nothing short of a travesty.

Jesus says:  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”(John 13:34-35) We, believers, the church are called to be light to the darkness in the world. When the world sees the dysfunction caused by disunity within the church there is little to attract people to the church. Rejecting the church, they also turn from and reject God.   

In today’s text Paul says: “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.” These are ministry gifts and callings. In 1 Corinthians 12: , Paul writes about spiritual gifts.    Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. ⁶ There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. ⁷ But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.  

Far too often, in the church today, we see these gifts working independent of or even against each other. We see those who operate in a particular gift or ministry criticizing others who minister differently. Rather than working together as scripture encourages and Jesus commands, apostles are at odds with evangelists,  pastors and prophets oppose one another, the one who serves the poor and homeless is critical of those who minister in church buildings and so on. This disunity within the church is dysfunction at best and really is destructive and ultimately causes death. It is like an autoimmune disease or cancer within the human body, diminishing the strength of and sapping the life from the church, hindering or stopping it’s ability to fulfill it’s purpose.

God created us each individually, uniquely, with different personalities and passions. He gifts and calls us individually and uniquely as well. By His Spirit, He fashions each one for exactly the purpose He has for us. In Romans 12:3-8 Paul says:  For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. ⁴ For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶ Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; ⁷ if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.   . Rather than be critical of or oppose others who minister differently we should each follow the instruction of Colossians 3:23-24 :  Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

The church needs to grow up and leave it’s childish differences aside. Not forsaking our values in Christ, but forsaking our individual foolish pride. The church needs to grow up as Paul says. “ we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit forgive us, forgive me where I have failed You and Your body. Help me, help us to truly live in unity and love as You have called and commanded us to live. By our love for You and our love for each other, as we walk in the fullness of our individual and corporate calling enable and empower us to be a true light in the darkness of the world.    Amen.