Being and Building the Body
Ephesians 4:1-16
4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Acts 4:32-37
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
This Sunday’s service can be viewed on our Facebook page @ Sunday, September 24, 2023
Our first fall Alpha Course session this past Monday night was such a blessing. It was one of those "It takes teamwork to make the dream work" moments -- seeing people with various gifts all working together on a common mission, contributing their gifts of cooking, organizing, serving, running tech, greeting guests, leading groups, and telling jokes (thanks for sharing your comedy gifts, Derek!).
The earliest Christians came to know themselves, not just as an assortment of individual believers, but as a Spirit-fueled body -- a single organism made up of many diverse parts with specialized functions. .
As we continue our journey through the book of Acts, we will slow down this Sunday and reflect more deeply on the secret sauce of those earliest believers -- who were "united in heart and mind," radically generous, and devoted to Bible teaching, fellowship, sharing meals together, and accomplishing powerful deeds -- acts that transformed their daily practices, their families, and the communities and world God had called them to.
We'll invite the Apostle Paul into this conversation, too, as we dig into chapter 4 of his letter to the Ephesians and let him remind us what it means to be and to build the Body of Christ together.
Pastor Kari will be away this weekend, teaching at a women's retreat at Bluewater Covenant Bible Camp in northern Minnesota. If you're a woman and want to make the drive, feel free to join her! Otherwise, I'm honored to stay home with the rest of you in our little Cabin-by-the-Lake as we worship and do life together this Sunday.. And as always, pray about someone you can invite to join us!
--Steve Eng