Why Daddy? - Eph. 4:11-13

"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."
Eph. 4:11-13

One of the most fascinating things about being a kid is that everything is new, which leads to that wonderful and sometimes annoying question... Why? They just want to know why, so they constantly ask the question. Now admit it... it gets a little annoying, especially if your working on something, trying to concentrate and you are bombarded with not just one or two "why" questions but a whole regiment of them. You feel like you're attacked, so you resort to the answer... "just because." We ask the why question often as kids, but we seem to lose interest in that question as adults to some extent. In this passage, Paul is answering two "why" questions and a "how long" question.

First "why" question: Why did Jesus give these functions or gifts to people?

Answer: Some were apostles, some were prophets, some were evangelists, and some were pastors/teachers, so why were they given these gifts. What is the purpose of these gifts? To prepare God's people for works of service! This is the purpose of spiritual gifts... to prepare God's people to go and serve the King! Paul then anticipates the next question.

Second "why" question: Why prepare God's people for works of service?

Answer: It is simple... so that the body of Christ may be built up! Often times in the New Testament the church is called the body of Christ, and I believe it is safe to assume that here as well. God is building His church (His people) into something glorious and we cannot do it on our own. It is a collective effort using the different gifts that were given to God's people by God Himself. It's like a house being built by a developer. He will contract people with a specific expertise to do a specific job. These "experts" know what they are doing and will do it well in half the time others would do it. They have the right tools and the knowledge to use them. God is building His church in much the same way. He has gifted people to carry out specific functions so that His church may be built up.

Third "how long" question: How long will God be building His church?

Answer: Here it is... 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. So lets break this down into a list...

1. Until we all reach unity in the faith! (BELIEF)
2. Until we all reach unity in the knowledge of Jesus! (KNOW THE PERSON OF OUR BELIEF)
3. Until we become mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ! (BECOME LIKE THE PERSON OF OUR BELIEF)

So the church will exist and continue to be built until we all reach these three things. If you think this is a daunting task, then you are correct! That's why I love the phrase "may be built up"! It is a goal that we are shooting for, so lets build each other up! What is your gift? How can you contribute to others satisfying those three things? We cannot be jealous of other people's gifting, because these gifts were given to us by God, nor can we be prideful of them because of the same reason. Lets work together as God uses us to build His church!

Comments

Rita R. said…
It seems to me that the main reason so many people are hesitant to use their "spiritual gifts" given to them by God is that it takes each one out of their comfort zone. We tend to forget He is "building us up" and will provide ALL that is needed to accomplish His Will.
March 3, 2011 at 11:58 AM
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