Church.

org
(Ephesians 4:11 – 13)

Introduction

Fonterra is one of the largest company in New Zealand. It’s revenue

makes up 5% of New Zealand’s GDP. The company has thousands of
employees and cooperative members who supply the milk. It has
15,600 employees whose operations is not only confined to NZ but in
other countries as well like China, Australia, Singapore, the US, and
several European countries. It has one purpose, to make money for its
farmer members and that is a substantial chunk of the NZ economy.
Can you imagine if the local farmer does not have a channel to to sell
his milk? Without an organisation like Fonterra then the economy will
be like the Middle Ages where trading is mostly confined to the local
village. Each stakeholder does his role in order to contribute to the its
corporate objective. There are 11,000 farmers who belong to this
cooperative comprising 95% of NZ milk supply. That is huge.
This chart illustrates the various business units within Fonterra.
Farmers supply the milk. Manufacturing process the supplied milk.
The Innovation group conducts research and development to make
new products, make better products, reduce costs, comply with
environmental regulations. Shared services are the glue that binds the
other business units which includes information services, finance,
human resources and so on.
Imagine if each business unit will do his own thing or ceases to
function. A breakdown in milk supply reduces the production
capacity. Manufacturing malfunctions have the same effect. If the
innovation group fails in its mission, the company will head for
oblivion as the competitors catches us.
It is quite a complicated set-up yet it works and it works very well. If
Fonterra fails, it could take the NZ economy with it. What is good for
Fonterra is good for NZ.
Paul’s exhortations in verses 11 – 13 is about the church as an
organization where different individuals perform their roles to achieve
the common purpose of uniting in faith and maturity in Christ. Let us
keep in mind that unlike business entities like Fonterra which was
formed my men, specifically the NZ farmers, the church as an

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 institution was divinely ordained. It has a loftier mission and its
business is the business of Christ.
What drove Paul to write this doxology? What inspired his
selflessness to give all glory to God.

Proclamation (v. 11)

Paul proclaims that it is God who instituted the various roles within
the church and these roles are well-defined and fully explained. It is a
proclamation and assertion that the roles that are rising within the
churches have divine origins. It is God who wrote these job
descriptions. Paul mentioned several roles but I organised them into
two general categories. The main difference between servants and
shepherd is the leadership aspect of the shepherds, which carries
responsibility and accountability
Servants
Dictionary definition is a person in the service of another. Among the
roles mentioned in this verse, we can classify the following as servants
prophets, apostles and evangelists. Let us look at the servant trait of
these roles

Apostles – the Greek word used is apostolos meaning one sent forth.
This definition has a broader meaning compared to the original 12
apostles personally commissioned by Christ plus Paul who was not
part of the original 12 but was personally called by Christ on the way
to Damascus. This definition applies to deignate Christian members
commissioned by the community. An example is Barnabas who was
sent forth as a missionary by the church at Antioch (Acts 13:3 2While
they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set
apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called
them." 3So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands
on them and sent them off.) In Romans 16:7, they referred to
Andronicus and Junias. In Philippians 2:25 Epaphroditus is referred to
as “your apostle”.
Missionaries belong to this category. They are commissioned by their
home churches to be sent to far flung areas of the world like New
Zealand

Prophets – from the Greek word prophetes, one who speaks forth and
openly, a proclaimer of divine message. The prophets of the New
Testament prophesy which is a combination of preaching of the

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Divine counsels of grace already accomplished and the fore-telling of
the purposes of God in the future. Unlike the Old Testament prophets,
they are not into foretelling, that is stating specific events in the future.
The Old Testament prophets are into prophecy, that is, foretelling
future. Ray C Stedman states that a prophet is essentially a man who
speaks for God, who unfolds the mind of God. In the early church,
before the New Testament was written down, prophets spoke directly
by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, uttering the truths that are now
recorded in the New Testament. They unfolded what God taught, and
thus the body was motivated, galvanized into activity. Men such as
Mark, Luke, James, and Jude were not themselves apostles but they
were associated with the apostles in the writing of the New Testament.
The original apostles gives an authoritative declaration of the whole
body of truth concerning Jesus Christ; the prophet interprets that
authoritative word and explains the truth so that it becomes very clear,
vital, and compelling. The very word "prophet" suggests this. It
derives from a Greek root which means "to cause to shine," and is
linked with the prefix "pro" which means "before." Thus a prophet is
one who stands before and causes the word of the apostle to shine. the
prophet interprets that authoritative word and explains the truth so that
it becomes very clear, vital, and compelling.

Evangelist – Greek evanglistes – one who announces good news. It is

a particular type of ministry that establishes churches. He is not
confined in one spot but moves to different locations preaching the
good news concerning Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul is also an
evangelist. He founded churches during his missionary journeys. He
was not confined to one spot but moved across Asia and Europe to
preach the gospel and establish churches. This epistle was written for
one of the churches he established. The evangelist is an organiser. He
is a sower of seeds. Once the plant takes root he moves on to plant
more seeds.

Shepherds
Shepherds are also servants but they have the added responsibility of
leadership and accountability.
Pastors – Greek word is poimen, literally a shepherd, one who tends
herds or flocks. Pastors guide as well as feed the flock. Acts 20:28
indicates that it is service committed to elders, overseers, or bishops. It
is a big responsibility and accountability.

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 Teachers – Greek didaskalos, one who gives instructions. Christ
Himself is a teacher. Teachers are well-informed persons to whom
inquiring Christian converts might have recourse for removing their
doubts and difficulties concerning Christian observances, sacraments,
and other rituals. This gives teachers accountability because they can
mislead an enquiring believer.

Application
Whatever role we may have in church, rest assured that God sees its
importance. The church is never a one-man show. It is a cooperative.
It is an organisation working together to glorify God. The various
roles are there to address man’s limitations and they were ordained by
God so that these limitations may be overcome.

Preparation (v 12)
Verse 12 is about the preparation of the people and the reason for that
preparation.
Servitude
The people or roles of the people are for service. Service is defined as
to work or in subjection to another. These roles are service functions
with the goal of preparing God’s people for service. What are the
preparations involved.

Sowing the seeds

The apostles, prophets and evangelists sow the seeds of the gospel.
They travel far and wide to share the good news of salvation through
Jesus Christ. These men spearhead the Great Commission of Matthew
28:19-20. Men like Paul, Silas, and Barnabas travelled to the far-flung
areas of the then known world to plant the seeds of the gospel. They
are the men who opened up the Good News to the world. They are the
men who shed light to the Old Testament prophecies by explaining
that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah. It was not an easy task. Paul
was subjected to shipwrecks, snakebites, stoning and incarceration. It
was never easy for him. Remember that this epistle was written while
Paul was in jail. The other disciples also suffered. Silas was stoned
and jailed with Paul. Of all the apostles, only John the beloved
escaped a violent death. All the rest were martyred including Paul
himself. Such is the price to pay for sowing the seeds of the gospel

Nurserymen

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The pastors and teachers are like gardeners or nurserymen who
nurture the planted seeds. They are not as itinerant as the seed sowers
because they look after the sown seeds. They make sure that the
message of the gospel grows and become firmly rooted in the hearts
and minds of the believers. They tend to the believer’s need to be
constantly fed by God’s Word. Pastors and teachers are coaches and
counsellors.
As coaches, pastors and teachers shows the congregation the nuances
of Christian living. Pastors must abide by the principle of intellectual
diligence. 2 Timothy 2:15 says it all. The key word here is diligent.
Pastors and teachers must be diligent to study God’s Word so that they
can impart it effectively. It is hard to present the precepts of the Word
without digging in to the principle of the Word. Like a miner who
seeks nuggets of gold and precious gems, pastors and teachers must
work diligently to reveal the nuggets of wisdom in God’s Word.

As counsellors, the Apostle Paul acknowledge that people often come

to Christ, and to one another, with problems that require special and
individual attention rather than “normal solutions”. He wrote in his
second letter to the Thessalonians, “Warn those who are unruly,
comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all”
(1Thessalonians 5:14). That is more than a quick spiritual fix approach
to the human condition. Pastors and teachers are positions of
responsibility. They are shepherds and must oversee the flock
constantly and consistently.

Structure
The church, the body of Christ, is emphasised in this verse. The
services of each role are all intended to built up the body of Christ.
The various roles are building blocks assembled together to form the
church. The services when combined result in building up the church
which is essentially the body of Christ. The services have a noble and
divine purpose. They are not trivial. They are not unimportant. They
are not worthless. Christ’s legacy before He ascended to heaven is
His Church. He made it clear that such a body of believers will be
established as we enter a new age of dispensation.

Application
This verse has a two-fold message:

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 Transition – When this epistle was written, the NT was not yet
complete and this organisation called the church is still in the process
of being assembled. Provisions and processes have to be in place in
order to accomplish the setting up the body of believers. They are still
putting their acts together and Paul recognised that he must encourage
the Ephesian believers that each individual’s role or contribution is
worthwhile

Today – What about today. Do we still need to build up the body of

Christ. Yes, indeed. Man’s mortality has a lot to do with it. The church
have to be built up continuously because the body of believers move
on to be with the Lord. People die. They leave vacancies that needs to
be filled up. People leave. They settle in other places. There is always
a need to continuously replenish the body of believers.

Last week, we spent a wonderful Auckland anniversary weekend with

the youth of this church. It is encouraging that they are moving in the
direction where they will eventually take over the various roles in the
church. That is the replenishment that churches need. The focus on the
youth who will carry out the Lord’s work. The saddest spectacle is to
see churches who are about to close because most of the members are
nearing the end of their natural lives. These churches had neglected to
include the young men and women who will carry on the Lord’s work.
That is indeed tragic.

Perfection (v 13)
Paul’s exhortation is to achieve perfection through unity in the faith
and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is quite a lofty goal and can only
be achieved
Solidarity
The 1st part of the verse is unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of
God. This is an appeal for solidarity in faith. But what does it mean.
The previous verses alludes to various roles working together for
building up the church. This verse reinforces that appeal by focusing
on the result of the concerted efforts of the various roles within the
church. It extended the goal to build up the body of Christ by
solidarity faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Though the
individual believer have diverse spiritual gifts and roles within the
church they are a cohesive unit bound by their common faith and
knowledge of Jesus Christ.

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 Unity in faith. Faith is in the heart of the believer. It is the trust that we
are saved from our sins by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. We
have that common denominator in our hearts. It is that common faith
that brings us together for we have the same Redeemer. The notion of
faith in Jesus Christ was brought about by the sowers of the seeds of
the gospel. The apostles, prophets and evangelists delivered the
message of the saving faith through Jesus and it is that saving faith
that brings us together, regardless of race, age, and social standing. It
is the universal and divine glue that binds all believers.

Unity in knowledge. Faith is in our hearts while knowledge is

developed in our minds. Pastors and teachers play important roles in
achieving this unity. Their task is to build up knowledge of God’s
Word by studying it diligently and teaching its life’s applications. It is
through such efforts that helps in achieving unity in knowledge. The
individual believer is also personally responsible in expanding his
knowledge of the God’s word. He must take the effort to study the
Bible. Jesus said it so in John 5:39 You diligently study[c] the
Scriptures because you think that by them you possess
eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about
me

Superiority
The end goal of building up the body of Christ and achieving
solidarity in faith and knowledge is to grow into maturity, a state of
superiority that is level with Christ. It is superior to our natural selves.
That is the end all and be all of being a Christian, to be more Christ-
like as we pursue our lives as believers. It is a fulfilling quest which
we can achieve as individuals working together as a body of believers.
This unity pleases God to end. 2 Corinthians 3:18 states the likeness in
Christ, And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect[a] the
Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness
with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord,
who is the Spirit.

Conclusion –

Strength and unity in diversity

We are blessed with different gifts, play various roles within the
church. We do not have to be clones or carbon copies of one another
to be in unity. Just like the human body, the church is made up of

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different roles, different parts, and different people who will achieve a
lot and be successful if they work in harmony. We cannot all be
preachers, we cannot all be teachers, we cannot all be song leaders at
the same time. But if we do our best and strive to contribute
harmoniously in whatever we are doing for the church then we can
achieve a lot. The worship services will be run well. God’s word will
preached powerfully with insight and depth to be nurtured in the
hearts and mind. Kids learn from Sunday School lessons .
Missionaries gets their support. These are just a few tasks we have in
our church. There is a lot more and each of this task requires a
different gift. By God’s grace we just have to them and do them well.

United in Faith
What is it then that binds us amidst our diversity. The saving faith in
Jesus Christ in our hearts. That is the spiritual glue that brings us
together and work in harmony. Remember that these concerted efforts
have a divine perspective, a supernatural element that drives us to be
more Christ like. That is the ultimate objective of a believer, to be
Christ like , to be closer to Him, to reflect His glory in our lives. So let
us work together. Let us be united in faith and knowledge of Jesus in
obedience and harmony. That is the best we can do for our Lord.