The Gifts Given by the Ascended Christ, Part 3

Jim ButlerEphesians 4:13–16

Ephesians 4:13–16 specifies the duration, goal, and effect of the teaching gifts Christ gives to the church — the pastor-teachers who continue until the Lord returns. The goal of that ministry is threefold: the unity of the faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, and the corporate maturity of the church measured against the fullness of Christ. A faithful preaching ministry functions as preventative maintenance, guarding the congregation against spiritual immaturity, doctrinal instability, and susceptibility to deceitful men. The sermon closes by calling the church to pray for the ascended Christ to raise up qualified men, and to receive their teaching as the God-ordained means of growth and stability.