The Purpose of the Believer in the Church

Part 4

 

By Nick Bibile

 

Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

 

We are going through the book of Ephesians verse by verse, chapter by chapter as we are taking a journey on the book of Ephesians stopping at every scripture as we look at them more carefully we see scriptures speaking to us personally.  Also as you have noticed when we journey not by our emotions or feelings but by faith in scripture.

 

Last time we saw how God has orderly arranged the universe, the earth and he governs by his wisdom and power. Also we saw in our previous studies how God compares the church to our body. When we look at our human body we see a marvelous a magnificent design of our internal and external organs, how precisely they function in unity, we see the master designer behind it.  We see the how he has orderly arranged the church as he has given gifts to the saints so the church will function effectively.

 

Today we are going to see the purpose of the church in the light of the scripture.

 

Eph 4:12 For the equipping  of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ

 

Now what is the purpose of the believer in the church? The majority of the churches see only the last part of scripture the word edifying the body and many pastors and ministers focus is to uplift the church with  great music so they would get a feeling, and they would focus on an emotional experience, hype up the body so they will get excited, give practical advise to solve your immediate problems.  We must go to the Bible. Did Jesus or the apostles did any of these? No. The final authority is the word of God. The word of God says that God gave gifts for the perfecting of the saints. (Believers in the church)

 

Equipping of the saints.

 

Here the apostle uses the Greek word katartizo  for equipping.  This comes from the root word artizo means to where we get our English word artist or craftsman someone who works with their hands to make something to work good.  To a fisherman the word katartizo was used to mending a broken net, so they will make the net perfect to catch fish.

 

Mt 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

 

See the word mending their nets, the same word katartizo is used for mending. They were equipping the nets, making them perfect to catch the fish.

 

The picture is of the equipped for battle and the purpose of the church is to be equipped for service. If you want to be a pastor you need to be equipped, if you want to be a teacher, missionary you need to be equipped for the ministry.  Once you are born again by the spirit of God, you become a new man in Christ Jesus as God has changed your nature. Before you did not have a thirst for his word but now there is a desire to grow and to conform to Christ.

 

2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

The imagery here is of skilled artist/craftsman  fully equipped for his work.  

 

For the work of the ministry.

 

The focus of the believer is to be equipped and the goal is to service. Just like our human body working perfectly believers would be perfect for service.  The pastor’s job is to equip with the word of God, using expository teaching and giving the whole counsel of God so the believers would be complete for God’s service.  Example of Jesus. Jesus did not select religious educated but selected poor uneducated fishermen did not use external gimmicks or did not have musicians to entertain them or use any external forms to edify them but gave them pure spiritual food. He equipped them with the word of God for the ministry. These poor fishermen turned out to be the greatest men who had the wisdom of God. They became powerful witness.

 

Edifying the body of Christ.

 

The word edify does not mean to have a good feeling, I was edified or I felt good.

 

 

 

 

Calvin

 

, or province, is said to be settled, when confusion gives place to the regular administration of law.

For the work of the ministry. God might himself have performed this work, if he had chosen; but he has committed it to the ministry of men. This is intended to anticipate an objection. "Cannot the church be constituted and properly arranged, without the instrumentality of men?" Paul asserts that a ministry is required, because such is the will of God.

For the edifying of the body of Christ. This is the same thing with what he had formerly denominated the settlement or perfecting of the saints. Our true completeness and perfection consist in our being united in the one body of Christ. No language more highly commendatory of the ministry of the word could have been employed, than to ascribe to it this effect. What is more excellent than to produce the true and complete perfection of the church? And yet this work, so admirable and divine, is here declared by the apostle to be accomplished by the external ministry of the word. That those who neglect this instrument should hope to become perfect in Christ is utter madness. Yet such are the fanatics, on the one hand, who pretend to be favored with secret revelations of the Spirit, -- and proud men, on the other, who imagine that to them the private reading of the Scriptures is enough, and that they have no need of the ordinary ministry of the church.

If the edification of the church proceeds from Christ alone, he has surely a right to prescribe in what manner it shall be edified. But Paul expressly states, that, according to the command of Christ, no real union or perfection is attained, but by the outward preaching. We must allow ourselves to be ruled and taught by men. This is the universal rule, which extends equally to the highest and to the lowest. The church is the common mother of all the godly, which bears, nourishes, and brings up children to God, kings and peasants alike; and this is done by the ministry. Those who neglect or despise this order choose to be wiser than Christ. Woe to the pride of such men! It is, no doubt, a thing in itself possible that divine influence alone should make us perfect without human assistance. But the present inquiry is not what the power of God can accomplish, but what is the will of God and the appointment of Christ. In employing human instruments for accomplishing their salvation, God has conferred on men no ordinary favor. Nor can any exercise be found better adapted to promote unity than to gather around the common doctrine -- the standard of our General.

Gill

 

Verse 12. For the perfecting of the saints, &c,] The chosen ones, whom God has sanctified or set apart for himself in eternal election: the ministry of the word is designed for the completing the number of these in the effectual calling; and for the perfecting of the whole body of the church, by gathering in all that belong to it, and of every particular saint, who is regenerated and sanctified by the Spirit of God: for the best of saints are imperfect; for though there is a perfection in them, as that designs sincerity, in opposition to hypocrisy, and as it may be taken comparatively with respect to what others are, or they themselves were; and though there is a perfection of parts of the new man in them, yet not of degrees; and though there is a complete perfection in Christ, yet not in themselves, their sanctification is imperfect, as their faith, knowledge, love, &c. sin is in them, and committed by them, and they continually want supplies of grace; and the best of them are sensible of their imperfection, and own it: now the ministration of the word is a means of carrying on the work of grace in them unto perfection, or "for the restoring or joining in of the saints"; the elect of God were disjointed in Adam's fall, and scattered abroad, who were representatively gathered together in one head, even in Christ, in redemption; and the word is the means of the visible and open jointing of them into Christ, and into his churches, and also of restoring them after backslidings:

for the work of the ministry; gifts are given unto men by Christ to qualify them for it: the preaching of the Gospel is a work, and a laborious one, and what no man is sufficient for of himself; it requires faithfulness, and is a good work, and when well performed, those concerned in it are worthy of respect, esteem, and honour; and it is a ministering work, a service and not dominion:

for the edifying the body of Christ; not his natural body the Father prepared for him; nor his sacramental body in the supper; but his mystical body the church; and gifts are bestowed to fit them for the preaching of the Gospel, that hereby the church, which is compared to an edifice, might be built up; and that the several societies of Christians and particular believers might have spiritual edification, and walk in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, and their numbers be increased, and their graces be in lively exercise.

 

Matthew Henry

 

All are for the perfecting of the saints (v. 12); that is, according to the import of the original, to bring into an orderly spiritual state and frame those who had been as it were dislocated and disjointed by sin, and then to strengthen, confirm, and advance them therein, that so each, in his proper place and function, might contribute to the good of the whole.—For the work of the ministry, or for the work of dispensation; that is, that they might dispense the doctrines of the gospel, and successfully discharge the several parts of their ministerial function.—For the edifying of the body of Christ; that is, to build up the church, which is Christ's mystical body, by an increase of their graces, and an addition of new members. All are designed to prepare us for heaven: Till we all come, etc., v. 13. The gifts and offices (some of them) which have been spoken of are to continue in the church till the saints be perfected, which will not be till they all come in the unity of the faith (till all true believers meet together, by means of the same precious faith) and of the knowledge of the Son of God, by which we are to understand, not a bare speculative knowledge, or the acknowledging of Christ to be the Son of God and the great Mediator, but such as is attended with appropriation and affection, with all due honour, trust, and obedience.—Unto a perfect man, to our full growth of gifts and graces, free from those childish infirmities that we are subject to in the present world.—Unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, so as to be Christians of a full maturity and ripeness in all the graces derived from Christ's fulness: or, according to the measure of that stature which is to make up the fulness of Christ, which is to complete his mystical body. Now we shall never come to the perfect man, till we come to the perfect world. There is a fulness in Christ, and a fulness to be derived from him; and a certain stature of that fulness, and a measure of that stature, are assigned in the counsel of God to every believer, and we never come to that measure till we come to heaven. God's children, as long as they are in this world, are growing.

 

 

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