Ephesians 4:7-16
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is what it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until 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.
14Then 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. 15Instead, 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. 16From 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.
Time to Take the Training Wheels Off
Do you remember what it felt like to take the training wheels off your bike? Do you remember that first time you ventured out into the deep end of the pool without your floaties? Do you remember unloading all your stuff into your college dorm or your own apartment for the first time? Or maybe the first time you went solo at work without supervision or backup? It’s exhilarating and terrifying; it’s empowering and anxiety-inducing all at the same time.
In some ways I have to imagine that’s what the disciples were feeling when Jesus’ feet left the earth.
They had been properly prepared. They had spent 3 years following Jesus as he traveled throughout the towns and villages of Galilee and Judea. During that time, Jesus had even sent them out on their own side missions to gain some practical experience in ministry. They had gone through the roller coaster of emotions that was Holy Week – the triumphal entry, the crucifixion, the resurrection – and had survived and were better off for it. They even got a 40-day intensive experience with Jesus after Easter where he reviewed everything they had learned and experienced, and opened their minds to understand Scripture even more. The disciples’ preparation was more thorough than many university educations are today.
But there they were standing on top of a hill staring at the space in the sky where Jesus had been a moment ago, but wasn’t anymore. I imagine that the thrill in their hearts was not unlike that feeling when your dad let go of the seat of your bike for the first time.
Jesus’ ascension into heaven was the coming-of-age moment for the Christian Church. From that moment on, there would be no more training wheels, no more floaties, no more hand holding. In a sense, the disciples were on their own, but Jesus didn’t leave them empty handed or alone.
What did Paul say to the Ephesians today?
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is what it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”[1]
By going away, Jesus was clearing the way for these gifts of grace to be given to his people. And I want you to pay attention to the recipients of Jesus’ gifts here:
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.[2]
Jesus’ departure from this earth was not just meant to benefit the 12 Apostles. It was meant to be – and is – a blessing for every single Christian, i.e. for every one of you. Look at what Paul says is the purpose of all those pastors and teachers:
So Christ himself gave… pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.[3]
The reason God gave me to you was to equip you for works of service – not to do all the work for you, not to hold your hand every step of the way, but to equip you to do it, so that you could put to work the gifts that God has given each of you.
And the gifts that God has given you are going to be different because you’re different. These gifts have been given as Christ apportioned it, which means that they’re not all the same. One of you may be good at starting a spiritual conversation with a stranger. Someone else may be good at thinking about the people who often get forgotten. Someone else might be a good listener or a faithful encourager or a solid teacher or thoughtful planner. God gives different gifts to different people in different amounts.
But Jesus gives gifts to everyone, and everyone is equipped for works of service. Which means two things that are both immediately practical for you: 1) none of you is so insignificant that the body of Christ can get along fine without you. We probably don’t say it enough – I know I don’t say it enough – you, every one of you, are a vital, essential part of this body. We might be able to limp along without you, but we’d be limping, hurting, suffering without you.
And there may be some of you who are watching online right now, or listening at home, to whom that applies too. We are better with you than without you. And if I haven’t called you personally and told you that, it’s not because it’s not true, it’s because of my own failing and my own fear. So don’t let my failures or your own false sense of humility stand in the way of us being built up together into the body of Christ.
Jesus gives gifts to every member of the body, and that means that none of you is so insignificant that the body can get along fine without you. It also means that 2) none of you is so important that the body of Christ would fall apart without you.
It is so tempting to cast judgment. It is so tempting to keep receipts, i.e. to maintain a mental record of who’s been helping and who hasn’t and in what way. But it is impossible for you to know everyone else’s circumstances or acts of service. Not all service is the same and not all service is even visible. But all service has been created equal and no one servant is more vital than another.
Jesus didn’t leave this world and leave us gifts so that we could play the comparison game and either be discouraged when we see the gifts and talents of others, or swell with pride when we think about how great we – and the contributions we make to the body – are.
After all, what is God’s purpose for all these works of service?
So that the body of Christ may be built up 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.[4]
The explicit purpose for each of our service is unity, maturity, and Christ. Christ is our goal. Christ is what we strive to be. And who is Jesus? He is the almighty, all-knowing, all-loving Son of God, who, as Paul says to the Ephesians, descended to the lower, earthly regions[5] – who gave up his status, who did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage,[6] but who took on the very nature of a servant[7] to serve you in your need.
Jesus was God’s greatest gift of grace to sinners like you and me. He took advantage of every opportunity to show love and compassion. He made use of every ability he possessed in all the small ways, but especially in the biggest. He showed humility in allowing himself to be manhandled and murdered by men who had manufactured false charges against him. He showed true and selfless love as he prayed for people who were in the act of harming him. He demonstrated the depth of his commitment to you by giving everything – even his life on a cross – to provide your greatest need, to wash away your sin, to forgive you, to remove your guilt and to build you into his church and make you a member of his body.
That’s not very good teambuilding philosophy. Usually you want the brightest and best on your team to give you the best chance at success. But God chose you – a sinner, a failure, someone who still stumbles and falls – and he made you integral to his family. He forgave your failures and faults and he gave you gifts of grace to empower you to make a meaningful difference as a member of his body, without whom the body of Jesus your Saviour does not function at full capacity.
The explicit purpose for each of our service is unity, maturity, and Christ. Christ is our goal. Christ is what we strive to be. Of course we can never reach that goal, but it shouldn’t stop us trying. And in the process of attaining to the whole measure of Jesus, we can achieve unity and maturity.
When we each understand our place and the pivotal role we play in the body of Christ, the whole body benefits. I have this twinge in my knee right now. My paranoia makes me wonder whether I’d blow out my ACL if I tried to play basketball right now. Then I’d be limping for a long time. The ACL is not one of the – pardon my French – “sexy” muscles in the body. It’s not a bicep or even a quad or a calf. It’s even relatively small. Point of fact, it’s not a muscle at all. It’s a ligament. But it is vitally important for the health of a moving body.
And so are you. And so are the gifts that God has given you. He has placed you here and now, and given you the gifts you have, so that you – in unity with every other ligament and tendon, bone and piece of cartilage we have here – can make the whole body better. Stronger – more able to stand up against the lies and empty philosophies that we hear from the world. More active – not waiting for people to come to us or ask for help, but taking the initiative and taking the Gospel out into the world we live in. More loving – toward each other as members of one family under Christ, but also to those who don’t know the love of Jesus at all yet.
That’s why we’re here – to be equipped for works of service so that the whole body of Christ might be built up.
Were you afraid of taking the training wheels off your bike or jumping into the deep end without your floaties on? Maybe. But how did you feel after you did it – after you learned how to ride your bike or swim without having to hold your mom or dad’s hand? Amazing! That’s what Jesus is doing for you even now from heaven. He has given each of you gifts to use for the benefit of his body, the church, and he’s training you and preparing you to use them for the good of his kingdom and the glory of his name.
God empower you to attain unity, maturity, and the whole measure of Christ. Amen.
[1] Ephesians 4:7,8
[2] Ephesians 4:7
[3] Ephesians 4:11-13
[4] Ephesians 4:12,13
[5] Ephesians 4:9
[6] Philippians 2:6
[7] Philippians 2:7