UNITED BY TRUTH
Opening Prayer
Jesus, may I honor You with the gifts You have given me. Show me how to serve You well.
Read Ephesians 4:7-16
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”[b]
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Footnotes
a. Ephesians 4:8 Or God
b. Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
c. Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
God’s gifts are for the church’s benefit. Do you use the gifts He’s given you to build up your fellow believers?Verses 7–13. Everyone in Christ receives God’s grace (7). This doesn’t mean everyone has identical roles. Why does it matter that Christ both descended (to an earthly life) and ascended (to His heavenly throne) (8–10)? Having experienced human realities, as well as having a heavenly perspective, Christ understands exactly what is needed.
What is the difference between the roles (11)? What is their common purpose? Does this passage subvert common ideas of those in Christian ministry? The ways in which we gain Christian unity? Or how we view our God-given gifts?
Verses 14–16. Paul expands on the meaning of unity. It is not enough just to be together, for we might be blown off course (14) by false teaching; be immature (14, 15), not realizing the need of ‘speaking the truth in love’; or be disconnected from our head, Christ (15, 16).
These dangers can happen to any church, however active and ‘alive.’ We can focus on uniting around things that are not the Gospel; we can avoid confronting falsehoods or undermining practice; we can be so focused on our activities that we assume church life is a matter of keeping the clockwork going rather than depending on Christ.
Apply
What is your focus on when you meet with other believers? Working together to share Christ? Building each other up to do God’s work? Encouraging a love for God’s Word?
Closing prayer
Christ, may I be alert to what my focus is all about. May I use my role in Your body to give You glory.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
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