May 17th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Ascended and Gift-giving

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, You were born into our world. You lived, died, and rose again. You reign as ascended King over all! Hallelujah!

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 says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” [9] (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? [10] He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) [11] It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, [12] to prepare God’s 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 men in their deceitful scheming. [15] Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into 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.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“The ascension of Christ means not a Christ-deserted world but a Christ-filled world” (William Barclay).

Think Further

We celebrate Ascension Day forty days after the resurrection. Jesus returned to heaven and entered the presence of the Father (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:51; Acts1:9). This ended his earthly, visible ministry and prepared the way for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit (John 16:5-7).

Paul connects the ascension (7-10) to Psalm 68:18. This psalm is generally regarded as Messianic and compares Christ to an ancient king (presumably David) returning victorious from battle and giving gifts to his people. When David’s greater Son, Jesus, the victorious king of a different battle (sin, death, Satan), rose from the dead and 40 days later ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit then came giving spiritual gifts to God’s people. In the same way, when we become Christians, we receive spiritual gifts from the risen and exalted Christ through the Holy Spirit.

This passage on spiritual gifts is set in the context of unity among God’s people (1-6), but the unity is not a bland uniformity. The unity is enriched by diversity (7-12) and demands the maturity of growth (13-16). Here, the spiritual gifts mentioned are associated with leadership roles in the church: apostle, evangelist, and pastor-teacher. Other passages show different gifts of the Spirit. When we know our spiritual gifts and use them in the ministry of our Lord, the church is built up; the Gospel is proclaimed and demonstrated.

Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of vs. 14,15 shows in a vivid way the end result, “No prolonged infancies among us please…God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and to tell it in love—like Christ in everything.” In a healthy church there is growing unity, displaying a concerted witness in the variety of the ways the Spirit directs.

Apply

Read and pray over the lists of gifts of the Spirit; Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, and 1 Peter 4:10-11. Ask God to reveal your particular gifts.

Closing prayer

Father, help me to identify my spiritual gifts and use them to contribute to Your ministry in the church and world.

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