Equipping the Saints

Ephesians 4:11-13

“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us, come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

This is the third of four sermons on the letter to the church in Ephesus, and as we’ve said before, this letter was written to be shared amongst the congregations of followers in the way of Jesus, and it assumes the authority of Jesus as given to Paul, the apostle, who wrote many passionate letters from prison. The interesting thing about that is that Paul did not write these letters as a warning, at least not as a warning against being imprisoned. If anything, being in prison was a part of his calling card.

Come to think of it, there are a lot of people through the years that have used the same calling card when it comes to issues of justice and peace. People like the women of the suffragette movement in the early 1900s, Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany, the Freedom Riders in the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail, and artists and activists ranging from rappers to poets and content creators from around the world all come to mind as people who have been imprisoned for what they believe or just for being someone who speaks truth to power.

All of these have also been venerated by some and villainized by others. Even Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. can rub you the wrong way if you read their letters and realize how they still call us out today. Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. are also the only pastors on that list – though I guarantee you that those other movements would not have gained traction without the spark of faith lighting the fires of hope for a better world.

That’s kind of where we left off last week in terms of the letter to the Ephesians and its message of encouragement for the church. In the last two weeks, we talked about salvation as God’s choice – we are saved by God’s grace – and all we do is in response to what God has done through Jesus Christ. What God did in Jesus Christ was to set in motion a new reality in which we might know of, and be swept up in, the active presence of God. God was always active and present, but now we know of God’s activity. Now that we know we are responsible for what we do next, and what we know is that God is including us in God’s project of reconciling the world.

Alright, lest we fall into an ecclesiastical version of “Give a Mouse a Cookie,” I want to stop here and unpack a few things. Salvation – we are being saved from an expectation that everything is up to us (individually), and we are being saved from a belief that whatever benefits us as individuals or as a tribe of like-minded souls must be what God wants for everyone. Now, there are some inalienable truths here, right – something like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? More accurately I would say food, clothing, shelter, clean water, love, acceptance, community, and connectedness with creation are what we all truly need at a basic level.

We are being saved from selfishness, and from the constant desire to make God in our image. Yes, our salvation from sin and selfishness has eternal consequences, but if we only talk about the hereafter we’ll miss everything Jesus had to say about the here and now.

The reason that matters is because of the next big “churchy” word in all of that stuff I just blabbered on about – reconciliation. That word assumes a disconnect. The sin of idolatry of the self is the disconnect. That’s why the author of this letter wants us to know that the fundamental identifying aspect of who we are as followers of Jesus (Ephesians 4:2) is mutual forbearance. Fundamental to our calling to respond to God’s grace is to extend God’s grace, and the first person who will give you the opportunity to practice forgiveness might be sitting next to you in the pew. It might also be the person who is speaking to you right now.

The letter goes on to remind us that – by God’s grace – we are one just as God is one, and then in verses 7-10 we are assured that God has not left us alone and has indeed given us what we need to get things done! In verses 11-13 we’re told that some are Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. Why? “To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

Oh, that sounds so good – but what does it mean? It kind of reminds me of a time when my brother brought a friend on a family vacation with us. We have this family blessing that we do that involves holding hands and lifting them up and shouting, “Weee!” at the end. Don’t judge. It was my grandparent’s way of trying to get us all to express joy in thanksgiving. Anyway, Scott had never experienced anything like that. The second time we gathered at the table and joined hands he looked around excitedly and he said, “Oh. What do we do?!”

I think that’s how a lot of us feel, even those raised in the mainline church when we hear about Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Saints. We figure we know who the Pastors and Teachers are, and we have a system to manage those people (most of the time). None of the rest seems to apply to us, though, right? (BUZZER NOISE) No, but thank you for playing!

Apostles are those sent by God. Is not the whole church sent by God out into the world? Yes. Anytime you start a new job, a new year in school, or meet a stranger, as a person of faith, you have been sent by God. Sure, there are some that are more specifically sent by God to new communities, new nations, and places that they feel called by God to serve, but all of us, in some way, are sent by God into the world every Sunday.

Prophets are people who speak the truth – not just objective, empirical truth, but the truth of God’s love. They acknowledge the writing on the wall – the obvious consequences that come from neglecting this simple truth – that you are loved and so are they, and in the end there is no “we” or “they” but only “us.” Prophets are the ones who speak truth to power and acknowledge the suffering that others ignore in the name of progress. Any of us can be a prophet if we reflect on God’s invitation for reconciliation and acknowledge the forces that oppose it.

Evangelists – these are people who bring good news: specifically, the good news that Jesus Christ offers salvation. Any of us can do that. In fact, you’ve probably heard or seen that quote that many people attribute to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Good News always, and when necessary, use words.” What he actually said was, “All the Friars … should preach by their deeds.” In other words, “Practice what you preach. Walk the talk. Actions speak louder than words.”

We still need to say the words if we want people to know our motives. We still have to choose when to say those words, if we want people to know that they are genuine. Again, just like this is the community in which we practice forgiveness, this is the community in which we practice the language of celebration! This is the community in which we work out what it means to think, feel, believe, and say that faith in what God has done through Jesus Christ is the source of our greatest joy! It is good news! It is the best news, and it’s so good that we want to share it all the time and everywhere! That’s what it means to be an evangelist.

Maybe you aren’t any of those, or maybe not just one all the time. Maybe you’re still trying to figure it out. Either way, I want to encourage you with this thought. God’s call to action and identity doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. Sometimes it is found in the simplest of interactions, and your understanding of God’s calling can also change over time.

That said, I don’t want to neglect Pastors and Teachers. This congregation has two of its members currently serving other congregations as Lay Pastors, so don’t think that I’m the only one in that category. Also, the Greek word translated as “Pastor” is used at least 18 times in the New Testament, and this is the only verse translated as Pastor. In every other instance, the word is translated as “Shepherd.”

So, some of us are also called to teach and to “guide the flock” toward what we need and away from things that harm us. I’m the one with the collar, so most of the time that’s my job; yet we are a priesthood of believers, so sometimes it might be yours.

By the way, Dorinda wants to thank those who have recently responded to the call to teach, and I want you all to know that there is a word in today’s reading that describes us all – Saints. In its origin, this word meant “holy, set aside for a sacred purpose.” That’s what you are, in Christ Jesus. That’s who we are, as the body of Christ.

Here’s the thing, at the end of the day, the way that we know that we are on the right track is not when things are going our way. It’s when we realize that we are going God’s way. That sounds kind of trite, but it’s also true. When we speak the truth in love no matter the cost to our own wellbeing; when we act in ways that demonstrate genuine concern for those who are vulnerable; when we become less concerned with being “right” and more concerned with being in right relationships with God, one another, and all of God’s good creation, then we will see that we are building one another up to become the very presence of God for and with one another!

Speaking the truth in love and building up the body of Christ (not just the institution of the church – but the actual experience of the active presence of God) is what Jesus had in mind when he told his disciples to bear fruit.

That’s where we’ll pick up next week: bearing fruit and standing firm in the midst of conflict through the peace that God offers us as God’s people.

For now, know that you are loved, that God has equipped you with all that you need, and God’s calling will continue to be revealed by and by as we build one another up into the Body of Christ that is the church – all to the glory of God, now and always. Amen.