Saints Perfected to Build Up the Body (in fellowship)
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…Eph 4:15-16 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
God’s stewards and ministers equip the saints with the riches of Christ Christ. The equipped saints, in turn, do the real “Work” of ministry for the building up of the Body of Christ. There’s a “measure” of Christ in each one part, and there are “joints” which supply to join together and the body. This is an “organic language” that Paul is using to describe fellowship. The stewards equip through their teaching, and that teaching produces a flow of life, which is the fellowship in the body. The supply of the Spirit comes through the teaching and causes the “measure in each one part to operate”. This is all based on speaking. The evangelist, apostle, prophet teacher/shepherd function by speaking, and as they do the saints are equipped. As the saints equipped, they in turn “speak the truth in love.” This speaking is all related to what Paul calls “supply.” There are “joints of the rich supply” and there is the “operation of the measure in each one part” – all of this causes the increase of the Body unto the building up of itself in love. While this is a “functional” language, he’s really speaking of a fellowship of love.
New Testament ministry produces a fellowship. This is why the early church continued in the teaching of the apostles, the fellowship, and breaking of bread. Fellowship comes from the teaching and the teaching is the distribution of the riches. The teaching produces a flow and that flow is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. This is not just people talking about information, but it’s the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. This occurs as we become more and more secured and assured in Christ. He fills our heart and fills our mouth. As we speak to one another, the Church is being built up.
God has always wanted a revival of speaking. What God wants is the building up of the Church by everybody speaking. God’s economy is operating when saints are being equipped by the stewards and they begin to nourish each other with Christ, speaking forth Christ as life. This is when God’s household begins to be expressed in the fellowship.
There’s no unity apart from the fellowship. The fellowship comes out of the teaching and the teaching is just the distribution of the riches in God’s household. God’s intention is for every member to function. That’s why the early Church ,when they met in 1 Corinthians 14:26 Paul said “when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying ”. These are for the edification and building up of the Body. That is God’s economy. That’s why those meetings were like that and why it’s a tragedy the pastoral system came and replaced the functioning of the saints, paralyzing the Body, keeping everyone as perpetual infants in Christ. This is why we have to come out of institutional Christianity, so that we can hear the pure word.
Our food is the Pure word of Christ. The pure word is focused on Christ as everything. You don’t have the pure word if Christ is not the focus of that word. Instead, you have a divided, fragmented word…a “leavened” word. If you’re teaching one day on prophecy, another day on dispensations, another day on baptism, and another day about Nephilim, that’s not food. Christ is food. There is danger in separating various doctrines from the person of Christ. He unifies everything and we need to learn how to speak Christ and handle Him. When we do so, that’s ministry.