Our work honors God. And God uses work within the Church to build up
the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).
Paul acknowledges that it is easy to get tricked by those who would
mislead us within the faith community (Ephesians 4:14). However, God
in Jesus Christ provides those who can help us mature in the faith (v.
15) in order for us to grow into love (v. 16). That is the standard
that Paul offers as the testing point for life in the Church: Does
it help us grow in to love (v. 16)?
I am encouraged when I look at Ephesians 4:11. Notice the wide range
of gifts that Christ gives to the Church: apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, teachers. That is encouraging, but what really
excites me is that Paul uses the word “some.” Faithfulness does
not depend on my having all these gifts. A teacher might not have the
gifts for evangelism. An evangelist might not have the gifts of a
teacher.
Often, the Scripture points us to ways we can reach out into the
world: serving the needy, working for justice, inviting others to our
Lord, caring for the lonely. All that is good and is not to be
forgotten, but in this word to the Ephesians (and to us), Paul is
calling for work within the Church, within the family of faith.
As I have traveled in the community of faith, a variety—and I mean
variety!—of people have escorted and challenged and comforted and
instructed me. About all they had in common was accepting the Lord’s
love. How about my third grade Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Rowland?
How about my sixth grade public school teacher, Mrs. Murdock? How
about the brilliant professor Carl Michalson? How about a close
friend whom I dare not name here? How about Martin Luther King (who
never knew my name, but shook my hand once)?
Your community gifts would be different from mine, but—using Paul’s
term—they spoke (and lived) the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Thanks be to God! I suspect that we ourselves are such a gift to
others. We may not recognize it; we may not claim it; but God is
using you and me to help build up the body of Christ. Thanks be to
God!
What Someone Else Has Said:
The United Methodist Book of Discipline
(United Methodist Publishing House) says this about the local church
(para. 201): “Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the church
exists for the maintenance of worship, the edification of believers,
and the redemption of the world.”
Prayer:
As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Thank You
for Church!...”
