Meet the People

One Body with Individually Gifted People

Ephesian 4:1-16 says that there is one body (the church people as a whole), one Spirit (the Holy Spirit), one glorious hope for the future (eternity with God). One Lord (Jesus Christ), one faith (in Christ), one baptism (rebirth) and one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all (sovereign).

However, God has given each believer a special gift, through the generosity of Christ (our unity does not intend to nullify our individuality).

The Gifts

The scriptures go on to list the specific gifts Christ gave to the church people: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. And it says their responsibility was to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This is to continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Did you notice how it first said God gave gifts to the people and then it says the gifts are the people?

Blessed and a Blessing

Just as God promised Abraham (Genesis 12:2) to bless him and make him a blessing, God has promised us, His church, the very same thing. We humbly accept this, having no reason to be proud of ourselves for it, because as it says in 1 Corinthians 4:7 if we have received it why would we boast as if it was of our own merit? Instead, our concern is that we may build up the church so that we may all reflect more and more the nature of Jesus Christ, our standard of perfection.