Fine Tuning the Saints

In one paragraph

The pastor returned to Ephesians 4:11-13 this week, focusing on verse 12 and what it actually means for the people sitting in the room. He had covered the passage the week before but felt the practical weight of it deserved a closer look. The sermon centered on three clauses packed into one verse: "for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of...

Read together

1. Romans 5:8 opened the service before singing, about God showing love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners
2. Ephesians 4:11 the gifts given to the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor teachers
3. Ephesians 4:12 main text for the sermon: equipping of the saints, work of ministry, building up of the body of Christ
4. Ephesians 4:13 how long the equipping continues: until we all attain unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God to maturity
5. 2 Corinthians 13:9 Paul rejoices when weak and others are strong, praying they be made complete, same word as equipping
6. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 the body is one with many parts, all baptized by one spirit, various parts cannot say they have no need of one another
7. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 varieties of gifts but the same spirit, listing specific gifts including wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, tongues
8. Romans 12:3-8 not to think more highly than one ought, gifts differ by grace, each should use them properly in serving
9. Ephesians 2:8-10 saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves, created in Christ Jesus to do good works prepared in advance
10. Revelation 14:13 blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, their deeds will follow them
11. 1 Peter 4:10 each one has received a special gift, employ it serving one another as stewards of the multifaceted grace of God

Talk about it

1. The pastor described the word 'equipping' as fine tuning or exact adjustment, meaning the gifts given to the church are meant to help each person find their specific role rather than everyone doing the same thing. Where in your own life have you seen that kind of fine tuning at work, either in yourself or in someone else?
2. The pastor said that calling yourself 'just a sinner saved by grace' can actually sell short what God has declared you to be, because a sinner saved by grace is a saint. How does thinking of yourself as a saint, rather than just a sinner, change the way you approach your life and your place in this church?
3. The passage from First Corinthians 12 says that when one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and when one part is honored, all the parts rejoice. Can you think of a time when you experienced that in a church community, either the suffering side or the rejoicing side, and what did it mean to you?
4. The pastor talked about Ed Wigg, who wanted to be a minister but ended up spending his life helping people get sober, and said that if that is not ministry he does not know what is. How do you draw the line, or do you, between what counts as ministry and what is just ordinary work or service?
5. The pastor pointed to Ephesians and said that God prepared good works for us in advance, and that work itself goes all the way back to before the fall and will continue into eternity. How does that change the way you think about the work sitting right in front of you this week, whether that is a job, a retirement, or something else entirely?