Voice of Truth - Ephesians
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Ephesians 4:11-16
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.
I came across these verses while reading Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. These verses are filled with commands for the body of Christ. If you are in a leadership position in your church, are you following verse 12? Are you equipping the saints and building up the body of Christ? As a Sunday school teacher, it has caused me to look at how I approach class. Am I merely going through a book or am I finding ways to equip the class for service? We must find ways to show that Scripture is applicable today and not just in biblical times. God's commands are the same today, yesterday and tomorrow.
Verse 14 calls us to no longer be children. Today too many people are tossed around by the latest hip doctrine and newest trickery of man. We must be teaching immature believers this. So many people in our churches today are caught up in the the teachings of Joel Osteen, T D Jakes, Joyce Meyer and all the other feel good prosperity teachers. If you are in a leadership position, it is your responsibility to turn people away from false doctrine and teachers. But as verse 15 says, we need to speak the truth in love. All correction and discipleship needs to be done with the correct attitude. Not with a I can't believe you listen to that person attitude. Our duty is to build the church up, not tear it down. Verse 15 goes on to say we need to grow up in all aspects. Notice the word all here. Some people can quote bible verses with no end, but have never grown in their relationships. There are leaders who don't know how to be servants. There are servants who never want to step into a leadership position. We need to grow up in all aspects. We should be striving to be like Christ in all areas of our life. Yes, that includes our lives outside of church.
Verse 16 shows that every part of the body is important. The proper working of each individual leads to the growth and building up of the body. We all have a part to do. If you are not doing your part, you are stunting the growth and building up of the body. God has given you gifts that your church needs you to be using. Never undervalue any role in the church. Everyone from the pastor, to the person who cleans the bathroom is important in the life of a church. When you are faithful in the small things, God will give you bigger tasks in the future. I never imagined myself writing a blog that has had close to 100 visitors now. But when I started being faithful in the small things, God started using me in ways I could never imagine. I have to admit I have been fearful at times, but He has always given me everything I have needed to do His will. If you are looking to do big things for God, remember we do nothing for God. He works through those who are faithful first in the small things. Start today, doing what God is calling you to do. Your church needs you to do so.
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.
I came across these verses while reading Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. These verses are filled with commands for the body of Christ. If you are in a leadership position in your church, are you following verse 12? Are you equipping the saints and building up the body of Christ? As a Sunday school teacher, it has caused me to look at how I approach class. Am I merely going through a book or am I finding ways to equip the class for service? We must find ways to show that Scripture is applicable today and not just in biblical times. God's commands are the same today, yesterday and tomorrow.
Verse 14 calls us to no longer be children. Today too many people are tossed around by the latest hip doctrine and newest trickery of man. We must be teaching immature believers this. So many people in our churches today are caught up in the the teachings of Joel Osteen, T D Jakes, Joyce Meyer and all the other feel good prosperity teachers. If you are in a leadership position, it is your responsibility to turn people away from false doctrine and teachers. But as verse 15 says, we need to speak the truth in love. All correction and discipleship needs to be done with the correct attitude. Not with a I can't believe you listen to that person attitude. Our duty is to build the church up, not tear it down. Verse 15 goes on to say we need to grow up in all aspects. Notice the word all here. Some people can quote bible verses with no end, but have never grown in their relationships. There are leaders who don't know how to be servants. There are servants who never want to step into a leadership position. We need to grow up in all aspects. We should be striving to be like Christ in all areas of our life. Yes, that includes our lives outside of church.
Verse 16 shows that every part of the body is important. The proper working of each individual leads to the growth and building up of the body. We all have a part to do. If you are not doing your part, you are stunting the growth and building up of the body. God has given you gifts that your church needs you to be using. Never undervalue any role in the church. Everyone from the pastor, to the person who cleans the bathroom is important in the life of a church. When you are faithful in the small things, God will give you bigger tasks in the future. I never imagined myself writing a blog that has had close to 100 visitors now. But when I started being faithful in the small things, God started using me in ways I could never imagine. I have to admit I have been fearful at times, but He has always given me everything I have needed to do His will. If you are looking to do big things for God, remember we do nothing for God. He works through those who are faithful first in the small things. Start today, doing what God is calling you to do. Your church needs you to do so.
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