Ephesians 4:1-16, July 31-August 6, Year B; Toward a Mature Church:

In this passage, Paul encourages the church in Ephesus to cultivate genuine Christian love, to live together in unity, to grow in maturity of doctrine--all to the purpose of moving toward a mature church.

 

In Ephesians 4:1-6, he tells the Ephesian Christians to walk worthy of their calling.  He is moving from the doctrinal aspect of Christianity which he emphasized in Ephesians 1-3 to the practical, though the two inevitably overlap.  This prisoner for the gospel pleads with the Ephesians--and, with the church everywhere and in all ages--to live in a certain way. Profitable time can be spent considering exactly what is meant by words like humility, meekness, and patience.  Unity is a kind of oneness that results in peace; but exactly what kind of unity is the apostle encouraging?  What must each of us do to apply these doctrines?  We are to live in the light of what we believe in a way that brings glory to Christ and credit to the church.  We must remember that humility was not always considered a virtue in ancient civilizations.  We must see ourselves as God sees us, realizing that we're not the center of the universe--yet, thankful for God's love.  He knows us as we really are--and still loves us! 

 

My wife and I once saw a big dog who was constantly being harassed by a little puppy.  Yet, the big dog did not retaliate, but withstood the annoyance patiently.  (We can learn a lot from a dog.  But then, few people are more partial to our barking friends than I am.  Jus don't try to make this a statement about governments and politics.) 

 

In Ephesians 4:4-6, we learn something of the basis of Christian unity according to Paul.  Christian unity must be under the Headship of Christ.  There is one Holy Spirit.  There is one Hope--a world redeemed.  There is one Lord and Master.  There is one faith, which is trust in Christ.  There is one baptism and public confession.  There is one God and Father.  What does this say about our artificial attempts to force some kind of structural unity or uniformity on a diverse church?

 

In Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul speaks of the gifts to the church and the purpose of those gifts.  He tells of the Incarnation, Ascension, and Triumph of Christ.  He reminds us that there are gifts given to every Christian.  He delineates the gifts and the offices God has given to the church.  Again, we would do well to consider the function of each of these in the life of the church today.  In what sense, if any, do we still have apostles?  What is the work of an evangelist?  It is all to lead to the equipping of the saints.  The work is not all to be done by those who are called to full-time Christian ministry.  They are simply to equip the saints for the work of the church.  We are each to seek our spiritual gifts.

 

All of this is leading to a mature church, not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.  We are to become spiritual adults.  Christ desires that we grow in truth and love.  Remember that, as Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says, just because a need exists, that doesn't necessarily mean that you're the one to meet it.  We are to follow God's particular calling for our lives, not to be sidetracked, not to have our energy dissipated by "chasing rabbits," as it were. We can certainly pray for those needs to be met, for those people to be raised up whom God intends to do other work in the vineyard.  

 

This passage also helps us reflect on the purpose of creeds and confessions as we seek to know the truth God has given us.  While it is true that we who believe in Christ are all children of God, we are not to remain babes in Christ, but become mature, moving on to solid food.  We should be able to communicate,  to our modern world, with clarity and conviction, what we believe about Christ. And we should regularly be asking, as Paul himself did, "Lord, what would you have me to do?"--Daniel.