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Scripture Reading: 7, 12, Eph. 4:16; 1 Pet. 4:10; Rom. 12:7a; 16:1; Acts 6:3; 1 Cor. 12:28b; Matt. 20:26-28; Col. 1:7; 7, 4:12; Eph. 6:21
I. The church being built by itself, not only through the joints of supply but also through each one part — Eph. 4:16.
II. To each one of us grace having been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ — vv. 7, 12.
III. As each one has received a gift, ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the varied grace of God — 1 Pet. 4:10.
IV. The practical service — ministry — Rom. 12:7a; 1 Pet. 4:10:
А. As deacons and deaconesses — 1 Tim. 3:8-13; Phil. 1:1; Rom. 16:1.
B. Serving others — Acts 6:3.
C. Helping others — 1 Cor. 12:28b.
D. As a servant, even as a slave — Matt. 20:26-27.
V. The examples of such service:
А. The Lord Jesus — v. 28.
B. Epaphras — Col. 1:7; 4:12.
C. Tychicus — v. 7; Eph. 6:21.
In this lesson we want to see the church-building service, that is, the service that builds the church.
Ephesians 4:16 says, “Out from whom [Christ as the Head] all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.” This verse shows that the church is built up by itself, not by the Lord directly. The joints of supply refer to the particular gifted ones mentioned in verse 11: the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. The Body builds itself up not only through the joints of supply but also through each one part, each member of the Body.
We have to stress this strongly. We are not in Catholicism or Protestantism. We are the church. In Catholicism there is the hierarchy of the pope, the cardinals, the archbishops, the bishops, and the priests. In Protestantism there is a hierarchy of pastors. But the church is an organism, the organic Body of Christ with all the living and functioning members. There is no hierarchy in the Body, the church.
We all have to endeavor to avoid any kind of hierarchy. It is so easy for the functioning ones and the non-functioning ones to fall into this snare. There is a natural tendency to have a hierarchy, just like there is a natural tendency for water to flow down from a mountaintop. This tendency still exists among us, so we must be careful to avoid it. Those among us who have the ability to function must be on the alert not to take others’ opportunity to function. We must give the ground so that all the saints may have the opportunity to function, and we have to encourage all the saints, great and small, to function.
Ephesians 4:7 says, “To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” This grace was given to us for the building up of the Body of Christ (v. 12). Grace was given to each one of us without exception. We must convince the saints that there is no excuse for not functioning. As long as you believe in the Lord Jesus, you have been regenerated. In your regenerated spirit there is a measure. We have to convince the saints of this and do our best to develop their measure.
First Peter 4:10 says, “Each one, as he has received a gift, ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” In this verse Peter points out that each one has received a gift. The Word says that everyone has received a gift, so there is no excuse; we must minister this gift to one another. We have to serve one another with this gift. The word minister in Greek really means to serve. A minister simply means a servant or a deacon. Everyone is a minister, a servant, a deacon, a steward, ministering grace to others. Since we all have received a gift, we need to minister this gift to one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God. This is the grace in many aspects. The varied and manifold grace of God can be fully ministered only when all are ministering, or serving.
Now we want to see something concerning the practical service — ministry (Rom. 12:7a; 1 Pet. 4:10). When we refer to the practical service, we mean the practical ministry.
The practical service, the practical ministry, in the church is by the deacons and deaconesses (1 Tim. 3:8-13; Phil. 1:1; Rom. 16:1). The deacons and deaconesses are the serving ones. First Timothy 3:8-13 gives us the qualifications of the deacons and deaconesses.
The practical ministry is one of serving others. Acts 6:3 says that seven deacons were appointed to take care of the practical need of serving tables. These ones were full of the Spirit and of wisdom.
First Corinthians 12:28b uses the term helps. This refers to the services of the deacons and deaconesses. These verses give us a clear view that the saints in the local church should take care of one another. If you need something, I should serve you. If I need something, you should serve me. The church life is not merely a matter of meeting. Serving one another should be a part of our communal life. In the early church life the serving ones even took care of serving tables. Paul used the word helps in a very general way. This word covers everything. If a brother does not know where a barbershop is and you help him, this is the practical service, and this is brotherly love. To help one another is the practice of the Body life in a communal way.
Our practical service should be as a servant, even as a slave. This is according to Matthew 20:26-27. The great ones among us should be slaves to others. At least we should be servants to serve others.
In this lesson we want to give three examples of such service.
The Lord Jesus said that He came not to be served but to serve, to minister (v. 28). He served us even by giving up His life. This shows that we even have to die for the brothers if there is the need. We have to lay down our lives for the brothers (1 John 3:16). The Lord Jesus is the example to us of serving the brothers even at the cost of our lives.
In the book of Colossians Paul mentions Epaphras twice. Paul says that he was “a faithful minister of Christ” on behalf of the saints (1:7) and one who was always struggling on their behalf in his prayers (4:12). A faithful minister is a faithful servant. Epaphras went to Paul from Colossae and came back from Paul to Colossae to serve the saints there. A minister of Christ is not only a servant of Christ, one who serves Christ, but a serving one who serves others with Christ by ministering Christ to them.
In Colossians 4:7 and Ephesians 6:21 Paul speaks of Tychicus as a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord. These verses indicate to us that in the early days some of the brothers served the church full time. Otherwise, they would not have been able to travel as extensively as they did. In ancient times to travel by boat from one place to another could have taken a few months. It took them a long time to go to a certain place and return, so surely they were serving the saints and the churches full time.
We should point out that there was such a unique and special characteristic of the church life in the ancient days. The church life is not an organization in which people are hired and fired. The church life is a matter of love toward the Lord and toward the saints. Because some of the dear saints loved the Lord, loved the church, and loved the saints, they served others at the cost of their lives. In the early part of the nineteenth century, there was this kind of situation among the Brethren. This is why they were considered as the fulfillment of the church in Philadelphia, the church of brotherly love. The service that builds up the church must be like this.
