Are You Doing Your Part?
Ephesians 4:1-16
Ephesians 4 starts the second half of the Book of Ephesians and it goes from theology to application, right here. Paul takes the incredible theology of the first half and puts shoes on it so that we can learn to “set the direction of our life” according to our new life in Christ.
And so, for the “application half” of the Ephesians, Paul starts with begging us (literally) to “lead a life worthy of our calling in Christ.” God has freely given us new life in Christ. Now Paul wants us to know how we are called to live in response to all that God has given us in this new life.
Ephesians 4:1 (NLT)
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, BEG YOU (I beg you) to lead a life WORTHY OF YOUR CALLING, for you have been called by God.
Paul begs us (literally) to “lead a life worthy of our calling” because we are “called by God.”
And then, in verse 2, Paul lays out the new life character traits that enable us to “lead a life worthy of our calling.”
Ephesians 4:2 (NLT)
2 Always be HUMBLE and GENTLE. Be PATIENT with each other, MAKING ALLOWANCE for each other’s faults because of your LOVE.
These are the new life character traits that come from being transformed by the Holy Spirit and come from walking in the Holy Spirit daily. These qualities are some of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to “lead a life worthy of our calling.”
Be Humble
Empty yourself of self (the opposite of pride)
Be Gentle
Be gentle in your dealing with others (the opposite of arrogance)
Be Patient
Literally, suffer with each other for a long time (the opposite of anger)
Making Allowance for each other’s faults
It’s genuinely accepting each other just as they are
All because of your love
We are called to “lead our lives” by these new life character traits because of our love for one another.
And remember our love for one another is the new commandment Jesus gave us in John 13:34-35.
John 13:34-35 (NLT)
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
And so, Ephesians 4:2 says, be humble and gentle, be patient with each other and make allowance for each other’s faults because of the love that is the new commandment from Jesus and that proves that we are his disciples. And those two massive verses are the kick-off for the entire second half of Ephesians.
And so now, verse 3 is the first thing we are called to do in order to lead a life worthy of our calling in the new life character traits of verse 2. Ephesians 4:3 says,
Ephesians 4:3 says (NLT)
3 Make every effort (work diligently) to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
God’s first “to do” command in order to lead a life worthy of our calling is for us to Make every effort to keep ourselves united in the Spirit, binding ourselves together with peace.
Guys, the last thing Jesus prayed for us before the arrest and the cross,
John 17:21 & 23 (NLT)
21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one . . . SO THAT the world will believe you sent me.
. . .
23 . . . May they experience such perfect unity THAT the world will know that you sent me . . .
The Bible clearly and directly connects our unity and our love for one another to the salvation of the lost!
Have you ever wondered why the enemy stirs up so much conflict, and offense, and disagreement in the church? Because he knows of the world sees our unity and love for one another, it would draw them to Jesus. And so, the enemy is trying to thwart those salvations by stirring up disunity in the church.
And then, verse 4 begins the reason that we are called to live in such unity and to be bound together in peace.
Ephesians 4:4 (NLT)
4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
In Christ and through our new life in Christ we are called to be one body to live in one Spirit and to have one glorious hope.
Because Ephesians 4:5-6 says,
Ephesians 4:5–6 says (NLT)
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
And because of all God is
And because of all we have been called to
We are called to diligently work to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
But – it’s hard work to live in unity, peace, and love. To do that we must be transformed by God’s Spirit and we must learn to walk in the fruit of the Spirit.
And by the way, our unity is a unity in “diverse-city.” We are not all the same – that is uniformity. We are unity in diversity. It is the unity of our faith, hope, and love that binds us together in peace.
And so now, Ephesians 4 is going to explain if we are going to lead a life worthy of our calling then we must accept that each of us has a part – each of us has a role to play – in making all this happen. And it starts in Ephesians 4:7.
Ephesians 4:7 (NLT)
7 However, he (God) has given EACH ONE of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
Paul is developing the unity in diversity truth and he says each one of us is given a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
Greek – CHARIS translated gift or grace.
God has given you a gift today through the generosity of Christ and you have been given the grace from God to operate in that gift.
And so, we each have a part (and we each have a gift) in order to be united in the Spirit binding ourselves together with peace.
And so, we have to ask ourselves, Are we doing our part? Are we using the gifts that God has given us? In order to be a functioning part of the Church body, united in the Spirit and bound together with peace, are we doing our part?
The Bible says we have a part. If we consider ourselves part of the Church, we have a role to play. It doesn’t mean “I attend.” Attending doesn’t make us part of the Church. Listen, please. Receiving Jesus Christ into our lives makes us part of the Church. And so if we’ve received Jesus Christ into our lives, then we have a role to play in the Church. And that role leads to unity and peace, and love in the Church. It’s not I’m a “member” of a particular church, that’s not Biblical. It’s not I’m a member because I attend. It’s I’m a member because I am functioning. I have a functioning part in the Body of Christ.
It doesn’t matter – if you’re saved today, you have a part in the Universal Body of Christ. You have a role to play. And so, the first thing you have to do is wrestle with that. It’s not a spectator thing, I actually do have a part. Am I doing it?
And of course, some of us would say, “I don’t know what my part is.” That’s really good because it means that you’re recognizing you have one. Now you’ve just got to know what it is and then you can ask the “am I doing it?” part. Are we doing our part?
It means, are we using our gifts (because the Word says we’ve been given gifts), are we using them for the Body of Christ? The Universal Living Body of Christ. Are we part of the functioning Body of Christ that is united in Spirit, and bound together with peace? Are we doing our part?
Now, Paul writes an illustration here (and takes a little tangent) in verses 8-10. (The New King James Version even puts verses 9-10 in parenthesis).
But the question here, “Are we doing our part?” is so important that I’d like to stay continuing with it in verse 11.
The question today is, “Are we doing our part?” and continuing in verse 11 we have one of the three primary gift lists for the Church (the other two are in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12). All the gift lists are different (and seemingly for different purposes) but there is no exhaustive list. All three lists are really “guideline lists.”
This list in Ephesians 4 is often called the “Leadership Gifts.”
Ephesians 4:11 (NLT)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
These are often called the leadership gifts, but the context here is still each of us doing our part – in unity.
But, let’s look at these gifts really quick.
APOSTLE
The Greek word for APOSTLE (lower case “a”) means sent one or messenger. These are the missionaries or Church planters (sent ones).
PROPHET
To PROPHECY means both to foretell and to forth-tell. Mostly these are the exhorters and often the preachers.
EVANGELIST
This is the person who is always sharing the Gospel, always telling people about Jesus.
PASTOR
From the Latin word for Shepherd. A Pastor (Shepherd) is called to oversee, to guide, and to feed the flock.
TEACHER
This gift is being able to make the scriptures clear to people. Some people put these two gifts together (pastor and teacher) (Calvary Chapel often does) because to be a Pastor you have to be a Teacher – they go together. A Pastor oversees and a Teacher teaches and it’s generally accepted (in Calvary Chapels) that a Senior Pastor must do both.
But remember, the context here is each of us doing our part in the Body to make the Body function in unity – bound together in peace. And so, here is what these leadership gifts are for. This is the leadership’s “part” (role) to enable the Body to function in unity.
Ephesians 4:12 (NLT)
12 Their responsibility (the leadership gifts) is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
This verse leads to the definition of true biblical Church growth.
1). The leadership gifts equip God’s people
2). God’s people do God’s work (the work of the ministry)
3). The Body of Christ (the Church) is then built up (strengthened)
That is true church growth!
And then, what is the ultimate goal?
Ephesians 4:13 (NLT)
13 This will continue until we ALL come to such UNITY in our faith and KNOWLEDGE of God’s Son that we will be MATURE in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
What an awesome (and Biblical) Church growth program. Each one in the Body of Christ does their part until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Now that is a high calling for true Church growth, isn’t it? And this is the true Church growth we are called to.
Maturing the Body of Christ is true Church growth, and true Church growth can only happen when we are each doing our part – in unity.
Now, verse 13 (that we just did) is the positive reason for each of us to be doing our part. But there is also a warning for each of us to be doing our part, meaning, there are things we will help keep the Body from if we are doing our part.
Ephesians 4:14 (NLT)
14 Then we will no longer be IMMATURE like children. We won’t be TOSSED and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be INFLUENCED when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
If we are doing our part in the Body then we will be helping other Believers avoid these pitfalls. And instead of being immature like children tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching, influenced by people tricking us with lies – instead… we will help the Body grow into what verse 15 says.
Ephesians 4:15 (NLT)
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in LOVE, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
This is the goal for every one of us who is part of the Body of Christ growing in every way more and more like Christ.
And then, verse 16 continues the thought.
Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)
16 He (Jesus) makes the whole body (the church) fit together perfectly. AS each part does its own special work, it HELPS the other parts grow, so that the whole body is HEALTHY and GROWING and full of LOVE.
As each part does its own special work, then we are helping the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy, and growing, and full of love.
Every one of us is critical to the correct functioning of the Church and every one of us has a role to play in the correct functioning of the Church.
And most importantly, we are called to do our part in unity and peace, all of us bound together in peace and love.
The leaders have been gifted to equip the Saints
The Saints do the work of the ministry
The Body of Christ is built up
To the unity of the faith
To the knowledge of the Son of God
To the full maturity of Christ
To not be immature like children
To not be blown about by every wind
To not be influenced by trickery
Instead to be speaking the truth in love with every member doing their part to cause the maturing of the Body as Ephesians 4:3 said,
Ephesians 4:3 (NLT)
3 Making every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
Isn’t that awesome?
Are you doing your part?
And so, for the “application half” of the Ephesians, Paul starts with begging us (literally) to “lead a life worthy of our calling in Christ.” God has freely given us new life in Christ. Now Paul wants us to know how we are called to live in response to all that God has given us in this new life.
Ephesians 4:1 (NLT)
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, BEG YOU (I beg you) to lead a life WORTHY OF YOUR CALLING, for you have been called by God.
Paul begs us (literally) to “lead a life worthy of our calling” because we are “called by God.”
And then, in verse 2, Paul lays out the new life character traits that enable us to “lead a life worthy of our calling.”
Ephesians 4:2 (NLT)
2 Always be HUMBLE and GENTLE. Be PATIENT with each other, MAKING ALLOWANCE for each other’s faults because of your LOVE.
These are the new life character traits that come from being transformed by the Holy Spirit and come from walking in the Holy Spirit daily. These qualities are some of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to “lead a life worthy of our calling.”
Be Humble
Empty yourself of self (the opposite of pride)
Be Gentle
Be gentle in your dealing with others (the opposite of arrogance)
Be Patient
Literally, suffer with each other for a long time (the opposite of anger)
Making Allowance for each other’s faults
It’s genuinely accepting each other just as they are
All because of your love
We are called to “lead our lives” by these new life character traits because of our love for one another.
And remember our love for one another is the new commandment Jesus gave us in John 13:34-35.
John 13:34-35 (NLT)
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
And so, Ephesians 4:2 says, be humble and gentle, be patient with each other and make allowance for each other’s faults because of the love that is the new commandment from Jesus and that proves that we are his disciples. And those two massive verses are the kick-off for the entire second half of Ephesians.
And so now, verse 3 is the first thing we are called to do in order to lead a life worthy of our calling in the new life character traits of verse 2. Ephesians 4:3 says,
Ephesians 4:3 says (NLT)
3 Make every effort (work diligently) to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
God’s first “to do” command in order to lead a life worthy of our calling is for us to Make every effort to keep ourselves united in the Spirit, binding ourselves together with peace.
Guys, the last thing Jesus prayed for us before the arrest and the cross,
John 17:21 & 23 (NLT)
21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one . . . SO THAT the world will believe you sent me.
. . .
23 . . . May they experience such perfect unity THAT the world will know that you sent me . . .
The Bible clearly and directly connects our unity and our love for one another to the salvation of the lost!
Have you ever wondered why the enemy stirs up so much conflict, and offense, and disagreement in the church? Because he knows of the world sees our unity and love for one another, it would draw them to Jesus. And so, the enemy is trying to thwart those salvations by stirring up disunity in the church.
And then, verse 4 begins the reason that we are called to live in such unity and to be bound together in peace.
Ephesians 4:4 (NLT)
4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
In Christ and through our new life in Christ we are called to be one body to live in one Spirit and to have one glorious hope.
Because Ephesians 4:5-6 says,
Ephesians 4:5–6 says (NLT)
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
And because of all God is
And because of all we have been called to
We are called to diligently work to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
But – it’s hard work to live in unity, peace, and love. To do that we must be transformed by God’s Spirit and we must learn to walk in the fruit of the Spirit.
And by the way, our unity is a unity in “diverse-city.” We are not all the same – that is uniformity. We are unity in diversity. It is the unity of our faith, hope, and love that binds us together in peace.
And so now, Ephesians 4 is going to explain if we are going to lead a life worthy of our calling then we must accept that each of us has a part – each of us has a role to play – in making all this happen. And it starts in Ephesians 4:7.
Ephesians 4:7 (NLT)
7 However, he (God) has given EACH ONE of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
Paul is developing the unity in diversity truth and he says each one of us is given a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
Greek – CHARIS translated gift or grace.
God has given you a gift today through the generosity of Christ and you have been given the grace from God to operate in that gift.
And so, we each have a part (and we each have a gift) in order to be united in the Spirit binding ourselves together with peace.
And so, we have to ask ourselves, Are we doing our part? Are we using the gifts that God has given us? In order to be a functioning part of the Church body, united in the Spirit and bound together with peace, are we doing our part?
The Bible says we have a part. If we consider ourselves part of the Church, we have a role to play. It doesn’t mean “I attend.” Attending doesn’t make us part of the Church. Listen, please. Receiving Jesus Christ into our lives makes us part of the Church. And so if we’ve received Jesus Christ into our lives, then we have a role to play in the Church. And that role leads to unity and peace, and love in the Church. It’s not I’m a “member” of a particular church, that’s not Biblical. It’s not I’m a member because I attend. It’s I’m a member because I am functioning. I have a functioning part in the Body of Christ.
It doesn’t matter – if you’re saved today, you have a part in the Universal Body of Christ. You have a role to play. And so, the first thing you have to do is wrestle with that. It’s not a spectator thing, I actually do have a part. Am I doing it?
And of course, some of us would say, “I don’t know what my part is.” That’s really good because it means that you’re recognizing you have one. Now you’ve just got to know what it is and then you can ask the “am I doing it?” part. Are we doing our part?
It means, are we using our gifts (because the Word says we’ve been given gifts), are we using them for the Body of Christ? The Universal Living Body of Christ. Are we part of the functioning Body of Christ that is united in Spirit, and bound together with peace? Are we doing our part?
Now, Paul writes an illustration here (and takes a little tangent) in verses 8-10. (The New King James Version even puts verses 9-10 in parenthesis).
But the question here, “Are we doing our part?” is so important that I’d like to stay continuing with it in verse 11.
The question today is, “Are we doing our part?” and continuing in verse 11 we have one of the three primary gift lists for the Church (the other two are in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12). All the gift lists are different (and seemingly for different purposes) but there is no exhaustive list. All three lists are really “guideline lists.”
This list in Ephesians 4 is often called the “Leadership Gifts.”
Ephesians 4:11 (NLT)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
These are often called the leadership gifts, but the context here is still each of us doing our part – in unity.
But, let’s look at these gifts really quick.
APOSTLE
The Greek word for APOSTLE (lower case “a”) means sent one or messenger. These are the missionaries or Church planters (sent ones).
PROPHET
To PROPHECY means both to foretell and to forth-tell. Mostly these are the exhorters and often the preachers.
EVANGELIST
This is the person who is always sharing the Gospel, always telling people about Jesus.
PASTOR
From the Latin word for Shepherd. A Pastor (Shepherd) is called to oversee, to guide, and to feed the flock.
TEACHER
This gift is being able to make the scriptures clear to people. Some people put these two gifts together (pastor and teacher) (Calvary Chapel often does) because to be a Pastor you have to be a Teacher – they go together. A Pastor oversees and a Teacher teaches and it’s generally accepted (in Calvary Chapels) that a Senior Pastor must do both.
But remember, the context here is each of us doing our part in the Body to make the Body function in unity – bound together in peace. And so, here is what these leadership gifts are for. This is the leadership’s “part” (role) to enable the Body to function in unity.
Ephesians 4:12 (NLT)
12 Their responsibility (the leadership gifts) is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
This verse leads to the definition of true biblical Church growth.
1). The leadership gifts equip God’s people
2). God’s people do God’s work (the work of the ministry)
3). The Body of Christ (the Church) is then built up (strengthened)
That is true church growth!
And then, what is the ultimate goal?
Ephesians 4:13 (NLT)
13 This will continue until we ALL come to such UNITY in our faith and KNOWLEDGE of God’s Son that we will be MATURE in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
What an awesome (and Biblical) Church growth program. Each one in the Body of Christ does their part until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Now that is a high calling for true Church growth, isn’t it? And this is the true Church growth we are called to.
Maturing the Body of Christ is true Church growth, and true Church growth can only happen when we are each doing our part – in unity.
Now, verse 13 (that we just did) is the positive reason for each of us to be doing our part. But there is also a warning for each of us to be doing our part, meaning, there are things we will help keep the Body from if we are doing our part.
Ephesians 4:14 (NLT)
14 Then we will no longer be IMMATURE like children. We won’t be TOSSED and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be INFLUENCED when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
If we are doing our part in the Body then we will be helping other Believers avoid these pitfalls. And instead of being immature like children tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching, influenced by people tricking us with lies – instead… we will help the Body grow into what verse 15 says.
Ephesians 4:15 (NLT)
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in LOVE, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
This is the goal for every one of us who is part of the Body of Christ growing in every way more and more like Christ.
And then, verse 16 continues the thought.
Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)
16 He (Jesus) makes the whole body (the church) fit together perfectly. AS each part does its own special work, it HELPS the other parts grow, so that the whole body is HEALTHY and GROWING and full of LOVE.
As each part does its own special work, then we are helping the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy, and growing, and full of love.
Every one of us is critical to the correct functioning of the Church and every one of us has a role to play in the correct functioning of the Church.
And most importantly, we are called to do our part in unity and peace, all of us bound together in peace and love.
The leaders have been gifted to equip the Saints
The Saints do the work of the ministry
The Body of Christ is built up
To the unity of the faith
To the knowledge of the Son of God
To the full maturity of Christ
To not be immature like children
To not be blown about by every wind
To not be influenced by trickery
Instead to be speaking the truth in love with every member doing their part to cause the maturing of the Body as Ephesians 4:3 said,
Ephesians 4:3 (NLT)
3 Making every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
Isn’t that awesome?
Are you doing your part?