Growing
Housegroup Notes
25 September 2022
Pathways: Growing (Ephesians 4.1-16)
Prepared by The Revd Malcolm Raby
Growth is a present reality in the world around us. Healthy things grow, and there are lots of strategies we can use to enable that – e.g. in the garden when we grow vegetables. There is also the inevitability of growing old! But what about spiritual growth? Have you grown as a Christian in the past year, or has your faith “hit the wall”? At some point in the study you might like to share with others how you have sought to grow as a Christian in the past year. And your housegroup? Did you grow, as a group, last year, or has life become a little too “cosy”? We like it as it is; we don’t want any changes, and we certainly don’t want any new people to join us!
Paul has spent the first three chapters of his letter to Christians at Ephesus outlining all that God has done for us, and freely by grace. Now, as a result of this, he calls us to grow spiritually and live rightly. Right living is a sure sign of spiritual growth.
For this study I have picked out various key words/phrases for you to reflect upon. I have used the NIV translation but if you are using a different translation do share the words/phrases used instead.
1 Live a life worthy of the calling
2-3 Be completely humble and gentle
2-3 Bearing with one another
2-3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
4-6 Paul gives us a picture of how the church should be united. Do you recognize such a picture in our own church?
There is one body and one Spirit
7-10 God enables unity through the giving of spiritual gifts.
7-10 Grace was given
7-10 When he ascended on high
7-10 He who descended
11-12 It was he who gave
11-12 Apostles
11-12 Prophets
11-12 Evangelists
11-12 Pastors and teachers
11-12 To prepare God’s people for works of service
13-16 What is the desired goal of God’s work through church leadership and equipped saints?
Until we all reach unity in the faith
And the knowledge of the Son of God
No longer be infants …
And finally:
What picture would you use to describe the church?
Tu sum up …. “Here, then, is Paul’s vision for the church. God’s new society is to display charity, unity, diversity and growing maturity. These are the characteristics of “a life worthy of the calling” to which God has called us, and which the apostle begs us to lead.” (John Stott)
PRAYER
Pray for those in our church who have been given the gifts of leadership described in this passage. May they truly lead as described in these verses.
Pray for one another that we may indeed grow in the likeness of Christ and use our gifts of service to build up Christ’s Body.
Pray that we may discern gifts in others and encourage them to use such gifts – sometimes we need others to do this for us.
The following notes are primarily for leaders, but are available to all:
1 Live a life worthy of the calling – when we fully appreciate what God has done for us in Christ then we will want to serve and obey him. It is not something we do to try and earn God’s love and favour; it is something we do because he first loved us.
2-3 Be completely humble and gentle – we should not be interested in defending our own rights; in promoting our own agenda. Some translations have the word LOWLY which tends to have negative implications in our society, but it is a great Christian virtue (Phil 2.1-10). It is about being happy and content in life; not always wanting newer and bigger and better.
2-3 Bearing with one another – having the power to take revenge but choosing not to do so.
2-3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit – we are not called to CREATE unity; it has already been created for us by the Holy Spirit. Our duty is to keep it! This is a spiritual unity and nothing to do with denominations. Such unity should exist among Christians of different races, nationalities, language and economic classes. There is a long way to go – even in Ashtead.
In the early years of the Church, often with Jewish and Gentile believers, unity was not just about membership; Christians were united by their faith in Christ and therefore fellow-members of his Body.
So why is there so much disunity and division? “Divisions in church never begin with those full of love to the Saviour.” (Spurgeon)
4-6 There is one body and one Spirit – we have unity because of what we share in common, one …..
When Paul is speaking of baptism here he is referring to water baptism, the visible token of God at work in every believer.
7-10 Grace was given – grace is the free and unmerited giving of God. No-one earns or has deserved spiritual gifts. Each one of us is called to use the gifts given to us for the building of his Church – we are not to be envious of other people’s gifts. Sometimes we may need others to reveal gifts we have been given.
7-10 When he ascended on high – Paul is quoting from Psalm 68.18: “When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train.” This Psalm was a call to God to come to the rescue of his people, as in the days of old. Paul applies this to Jesus’ ascension as conqueror to the Father’s right hand, his train of captives being the principalities and powers he has defeated, dethroned and disarmed.
There is a textual problem in applying this to Jesus in that Paul says Christ “gave gifts to men” whereas the Psalm says God received gifts from men. Important to point out that in the ancient world after every conquest there was a receiving of tribute and a distributing of largesse. The spoils were divided, the booty was shared.
There was also a liturgical custom in synagogues which linked this Psalm with Pentecost, a Jewish feast commemorating the giving of the Law. Paul using it to refer to the Christian Pentecost marks a remarkable analogy. As Moses received the Law and gave it to the people, so Jesus received the Holy Spirit and gave it to the people in order to write God’s Law on their hearts.
And Jesus descended … quite possibly a reference to the depths of humiliation Jesus suffered on the cross and “to the experience of the nethermost depths, the very agonies of hell” (Hendriksen) which he endured.
These verses are difficult to interpret and scholars have widely differing views. It is probably not too helpful to go any deeper in this study as it could detract from the main purpose – GROWING IN CHRIST.
A brief note on spiritual gifts: Paul (1 Cor 12.4) speaks of a “variety of gifts”. There are 5 lists given in the New Testament, mentioning at least 20 distinct gifts. Each list differs widely from the others and the lists are given in a somewhat haphazard fashion. We may conclude that there is no exhaustive catalogue of gifts and that there are other gifts not listed. It is very important therefore not to focus too much on the more spectacular gifts such as tongues, prophecy and healing, However we interpret spiritual gifts, their primary purpose is for SERVICE TO OTHERS.
11-12 It was he who gave – Jesus himself gave these ministries/offices. They are a divine institution and not a human invention. Those who claim such ministries/offices should take special care!
11-12 Apostles – special ambassadors of God’s work, though not in the same authority sense as the first apostles who provided a foundation for Christian faith (i.e. New Testament). It could be argued that today there are people with ‘apostolic’ ministries such as episcopal jurisdiction, pioneer missionary work, church planting etc.
11-12 Prophets – the primary function of prophets in the Bible referred to those who “stood in the council of God” and “spoke from the mouth of the Lord”, They were vehicles of God’s direct revelation. No-one can claim such authority today. There are those on the more charismatic wing of the church who would claim God is still raising prophets/prophetesses today; people who speak words in God’s name by direct inspiration. Such words “must always be carefully tested by Scripture and by the known character of the speaker. The regular, systematic, thoughtful exposition of the Bible is much more important for the building up of the people of God.” (John Stott)
11-12 Evangelists – only three references to evangelists in NT (here; Acts 21.8; 2 Tim 4.3), though the word “evangelise” is used frequently. We all have an obligation, given an opportunity, to share the good news of the Gospel, but there are those with a special gift of evangelic preaching; making the gospel plain to non-believers; effective personal witnessing. “There is a great need for gifted evangelists today who will pioneer new ways of exercising and developing their gift, so as to penetrate the vast unreached segments of society for Christ.” (John Stott)
11-12 Pastors and teachers – some disagreement as whether this is a single gift or two gifts. Certainly pastors (i.e. leaders of churches) should tend their “flock” by teaching as well as by more pastoral means. Every pastor should be a teacher (gifted in the ministry of God’s word to people). Good and consistent teaching will build up a church.
11-12 To prepare God’s people for works of service – gifts of leadership are given so that God’s people might be equipped for service so that the Body of Christ is built up and expanded. It is God’s people who do the real work of ministry, and the first responsibility of leaders is to equip people and help them direct their service as God leads. “The primary purpose of the church … is to perfect (complete and mature) the saints for the ministry and edification of the Body.”
13-16 Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God – Paul was not concerned with structural unity, but a spiritual unity around a common faith. When this is achieved then Christian maturity/growth takes place and there will be an increased intimacy in the experience of God.
13-16 No longer be infants – firmly planted on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2.20). The ancient Greek for “tossed back and forth” is from the same words used in Lk 8.24 to describe the stormy Sea of Galilee. God wants us to grow up in all things and not be deceived by the world around us – a reference to those who used false dice to make sure there were no winners!). We are to deal with such people in love but without moving away from the truth. We never become independent from Jesus; we are to grow up into Him.
What picture would you use to describe the church? Some see the church as a pyramid with the Rector/Minister at the top and the congregation at the bottom in serried ranks of inferiority; some see the church as a bus driven by the Rector/Minister, taking their passive passengers in the direction they choose; but GOD wants us to see the church as a BODY where every part plays its share. Where do YOU fit?