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The Ascended Christ Gives Gifts

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But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.  8  Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” 9  (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?  10  He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11  And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers.

​​Ephesians 4:7-11

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Some of you might have grown up in a church that observes the church calendar quite closely.  Others of you may not even know what a church calendrer is.  It might be a calendar with pictures of churches so far as you know.

For those of you who may have grown up here at Hopewell, you know that Easter and Christmas are two holidays where we typically have special sermons.  We relate the service of worship to the historical events of Christ’s life and death.

There are some churches that do this for every Sunday of the year.  In that regard, the message for today, if it were rightly attending to the church calendar, should be not be preached for another month or so.  For today we are talking about the ascension of Christ.  

Whatever your particular views on the church calendar, we come to this passage today to think about the one who ascended into heaven and the gifts that he gave when he did so.  And we are made to think about these acts of our Redeemer because they are so vital to our unity as believers.

If you’ve been with us you know that we’ve been studying this topic of church unity.  We’ve been encouraged to not let our differences and our problems be a cause of alienation.  Indeed, Paul was concerned that the church at Ephesus not have any sort of fracture.  After all, they needed one another.  They were living in a very dark culture.  The society around them was so hostile to the faith that it would easily snuff it out and extinguish any vestige of gospel light in that region.  Ephesus was thoroughly pagan and therefore highly inhospitable to Christianity.

And so, it begs the question: How would anyone survive as a Christian there?  The only way was that these people would learn to get along.  They would learn to love each other and they would hold tightly to one another.  The only way their faith would flourish and have any chance of affecting the surrounding culture is if they took their brotherhood seriously and sought to strengthen the bond that existed between them.

I don’t think that I have to work very hard to help you see the parallel to our day.  There may have been a time in our culture when people could easily church hop and go elsewhere if they got their panties in a bunch.  If they were offended, they could easily go down the street to the next church.

But those times are quickly passing.  And we are finding ourselves in a situation that is much similar to that of Ephesus.  Indeed, we are finding that the culture is working quite diligently to extinguish the gospel and its influence.  We are seeing increasing pressures to stop being Christian and stop having any kind of influence on our society.

This is why we need to remember how important our unity is.  It is here that we gain strength to deal with the world.  It is here that we find renewal and grow.  It is through these relationships that we see the flame of the gospel grow brighter and spread.

Therefore, we must seek to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  Which brings us to our passage today.  Since Paul knows that our relationships are ever so vital, he draws our attention to Christ and his ascension into heaven.  He notes that as Christ ascended, he gave gifts to men.  

You may ask, why did he give these gifts?  It was for the purpose of helping maintain unity.  And our unity will be made all that much more sure if we embrace these gifts.  It is not only the gifts that bring unity, but the giver of the gifts helps to establish our unity.

I.  The Giver of the gifts
And you see that in verse 7-8.  Paul says, “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

There is a good deal of information about the manner in which these gifts were given.  But you notice that the focus is not so much on the giving of the gifts as it is on the giver of the gifts.  Paul tells us that these gifts were given by the Lord, and he spends a good deal of time talking about the Lord.  For, as you see in verses 9-10, he talks about how Jesus ascended into heaven.  The one who ascended, also is the one who descended.  And after he descended, he ascended.  

People say that Paul sort of gets off track again.  Paul feels the need to digress in order to explain what he means by the ascension.  But the fact of the matter is, Paul thinks that it is important that we understand something about Jesus.

As Paul talks about Jesus ascending into heaven, he draws on a custom that was common in the ancient world.  Paul draws a parallel between Jesus’ going back to the Father and the victory processions which would accompany ancient military campaigns.

After a general and his army had defeated a certain opponent, they would come back to their capital city and they would be celebrated.  A large parade would ensue.  The soldiers and their general would march through the center of the town and all the people would gather to cheer and admire them.  And part of the pomp of the occasion would involve the captives and the spoils of their war.  The general would show off how great his victory was by making the prisoners they had taken march through the town too.  You can imagine how humiliating a thing it would be for them to have to go through this.  They would be put on display as living trophies to the general’s conquest.

But these captives would have a double indignity.  They would be made to carry or pull all the spoils that were taken in the battles.  Perhaps there was gold or cattle or some other items of worth.  All the goodies that they had accumulated in their campaign would also be part of the procession.

If you’ve ever been to Rome you may have passed by or visited the Arch of Titus.  Perhaps you’ve at least seen pictures of this monument.  The Arch of Titus was erected to commemorate Rome’s victory in the Jewish wars.  And on the arch you can see men carrying some of the booty from the siege of Jerusalem.  The most famous is the depiction of men carrying the Jewish menorah, the 7 branched candlestick which was housed in the temple.  

So the ancient practice was to lead a host of captives in their victory march.  But when they procession had reached its destination, that’s when the good stuff happened.  At the end of the parade, those in charge would divide up the booty that had been accumulated.  The general would take a portion for himself, and then distribute some of it to the soldiers and then to the people of the kingdom to which they belonged.  

And this is the imagery that Paul is drawing upon when he talks about Jesus ascending into heaven.  It is a figurative way of talking about how Jesus has become a triumphant conqueror.  He is a mighty warrior who has conquered sin and its consequences.  By coming to earth he has defeated death and hell.  And his ascension is his victorious procession, whereby he shows the greatness of his power.

So you have here a further reason why we as a body should be all that much more zealous to protect our unity.  We have a Savior who is triumphant.  And just as the people would come out as one merry band to celebrate the feats of their armies, we should be united together in the admiration of Christ.  
In other words, we all have reason to marvel at the Lord.  We all should be in one accord because we all give honor to the same Conqueror.  Each of us celebrates the same victory; the same Victor.

So once again, Paul takes the opportunity to highlight the fact that Jesus is the central figure of our fellowship.  There may be many things that make it hard for us to get along, but there is one thing that supersedes them all.  We might not agree on some various issues, but we are agreed on the fact that Jesus is the Lord of Glory, who has utterly vanquished our foes.  

You realize that Paul has said something rather grand about Jesus.  And he wants us to keep our eyes on the fact that all our enemies are nothing more than prisoners of war.  They are now captive; He has subdued them (and is subduing them).  and that should override any resentments or conflicts that we might have.

Paul does not let us for a moment forget the work of our Redeemer.  He knows that it must always be put in mind.  He knows that Christ is what pulls us together.

But you will notice that the Apostle then returns to talking about the gifts that are given.  Perhaps it was a little digression to insert these comments regarding Jesus ascension, but it was a necessary one--one that was no doubt beneficial for our life as a church.

But Paul does not get completely sidetracked.  For he returns to talking about the gifts that the Lord bestows.

II.  The Gifts that are Given [11]
And you find that he lists the specific gifts that are given in verse 11.  He says, “He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers.”  

What you should note is that the gifts are the officers of the church.  The gifts are the leaders of the church.  Specifically, the gifts are those who have a role to play in terms of instruction and exhortation.  

Christ, as he ascended into heaven, did not abandon the church and leave it to splinter and become fractured.  Rather, Jesus equipped the church with the necessary blessings that will allow her to continue to flourish as one unified body in this world.  And one of the primary keys for maintaining that unity was the gift of officers who continue to teach and instruct, as Christ himself did.

Now, it is interesting to know that there are some different views on the offices that are listed in this passage.  There are a number of views when it comes to the officers in the church, and what constitutes biblical leadership.  And some of that discussion can be found in regards to this passage.
For instance, the first two officers that are listed are the apostles and prophets.  Both of these offices have to do with direct revelation from God.  The apostles were men who had seen the risen Christ and been specifically sent by him to proclaim the truth of God.  Prophets were like the apostles in that they were men who spoke on behalf of God and would have speech that was directly inspired by God.    

These two offices, most people agree, were offices that were temporary in nature.  Throughout history, most Christians have believed that these offices have ceased, with the coming of the New Testament.  While there are some in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles that may still claim that they are apostles and prophets, most of the historic church has believed that these offices expired in the first century.  

The third office is the evangelist.  There is some diversity of opinion about this office.  Some people believe it is another office that has ceased.  Others think that the office continues.  Others believe it continues in a certain form.  

The essence of it though is that the evangelist is one who has been specifically called to proclaim the gospel to regions where there is either no evangelical witness, or where the church’s witness is quite limited.  An evangelist is charged with the job of church planting and gathering people together for the purpose of worship and discipleship in Christian faith.

Again, there is some diversity of opinion as to whether this continues or not.  I am one who believes that it is a continuing office.  As a matter of fact, I was given the powers of evangelism when I was ordained because I was involved in the work of church planting here in Ashland.  By that I mean I was allowed by my presbytery to administer the sacraments without the presence of elders.

Normally, you should have elders present to administer the Lord’s Supper.  They are the ones who are to oversee the church and make sure that the Lord’s table is properly observed.  However, when you are doing church planting, you don’t have elders.  There will be a time when you are having worship services, but the church has not matured to the point of having its own elders.  So, according to this view, a minister of the gospel may be given the power of evangelist so that he may conduct worship and serve the Lord’s Supper.  He acts as an evangelist because he is preaching the gospel on a spiritual frontier and he holds the extra power that normally belongs to the elders.

There’s a little more that goes into it, but you at least understand that the evangelist has a special call to teach and preach and can be invested with a special authority.  And you understand why there can be debate on why it may be a temporary or continuing office.

Lastly, Paul mentions the shepherd-teachers.  Now, here again, you have some debate.  There are some who believe that Paul intends to say that there are two offices and others who believe that the two names (shepherd and teacher) recognize one office.  

Calvin and Bucer are two of the most notable examples of those who hold that there are two offices mentioned here.  If I understand right, this is a view that was held by quite a few puritans too.  But this view says that there are shepherds (or pastors) whose responsibilities revolve around the church.  They do the work of preaching, catechizing, administering the sacraments, and counseling.  

They would then say there is a separate office of teacher.  These were sometimes called the “doctors of the church.”  In this view the teachers would be men whose responsibilities pertain to academic institutions.  So the teachers (or the doctors) of the church would correspond to professors of colleges and seminaries.

So, just to be clear, guys like Calvin, would believe in 4 offices: There would be deacons (those who helped with financial and temporal needs), ruling elders (those who governed the church and took care of disciplinary matters), pastors (the guys who were to preach and administer the sacraments), and then the doctors (the ones who taught in the schools).

The other view is that, when Paul mentions shepherd and teacher, he has has in mind one office: the pastor-teacher.  This view is held because of the lack of the definite article.  If you read verse 11 you see that it says, “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the shepherds and teachers.” it does not say “the teachers.”  So many people (including myself) believe this to be one office.  The pastor is a teacher, the teacher is a pastor.  

There’s still some debate that may be had.  But we’ve covered enough for now.  The thing that needs to be emphasized is that each of these offices has a particular function.  Their role in the church is to continue the ministry of the Word.  They were to teach and preach.  Their offices are defined by exhortation and instruction.

And they are important because they are so vital to maintaining the unity of the church.  They are the gifts that Christ has given.  That’s because, in proclaiming the will of God and providing the people with sound doctrine, they help those in the church understand how they are to live together.

We will study that more next time as we get into verses 12-14.  But for now we should see the vital role these men play.  Specifically you should understand how vital pastors are to the church.  Or, to look at it from the other side, you understand how frail a church is when they do not have someone who is able to act as a teacher and fill the office of shepherd-teacher.  

We are living in a time when the office of pastor is not given a lot of respect or seen as an overly vital thing.  Outside the church, pastors are seen as baffoons or as men who should stop wasting their time and get a real job.

But unfortunately, there isn’t much of a higher view among those within the church.  For some, they do not believe that their church needs a man to hold any office of teacher.  That job can be filled by anyone within the church.  Any man should be able to get up and teach.  Some may do it better; some may be more skilled at communicating, but (they would say) anyone and everyone should be able to do offer a word of encouragement.  There’s some misconception of what we believe by the priesthood of all believers.  Some take that to mean that, since God’s Spirit is given to all and all Christian people can read the Bible, anyone should be able to get up on a Sunday morning and talk about it.

Then again, there is another branch within the church that would rather have the pastor be more of a CEO.  He isn’t a shepherd who teaches and a teacher who shepherds the flock, but he’s more of a charismatic leader who knows how to get the people going.  He knows how to excite them to follow the church’s vision and is able to articulate a clear plan for the people to follow.

In this case the pastor becomes more of a business man or a cheerleader or a coach who is able to captivate people’s attention, grow the church, and really take it to the next level.  

But what you will find in each case is that these churches will be struggling along.  They will be trying to maintain unity, but they will always be finding that they are unable to achieve any sense of real, spiritual cohesion.  Despite all their planning and vision casting and attempts to create a sense of harmony among the people, they fall short time and time again.

And the reason is that they do not recognize what Paul is saying here.  The unification of a church is directly tied to each and every individual’s personal holiness.  If they do not have a sense of propriety in terms of their character--if they are not seeing Christ set before their eyes on a regular basis through the proclamation of the gospel, then there is hardly any chance that they can live together peaceably.  They will be intent on seeking their own way.  They will be chasing their own desires.  They will not want to settle their little spats.  And as a result, they will go their separate ways.

This is how important the teaching ministry of the church is.  It is not secondary, it is not not merely helpful or just a good suggestion.  It is of vital importance to the life of a church.  Christ ascended on high and he gave gifts to men.  And these gifts are essential for building the church.  They are vital for binding the members of a church together.  Without it the church can quickly disintegrate.

Conclusion:
I think that I only need to point you to the mainline churches to help you see how all of this plays out.  There is no denying the fact that mainline churches today are loosing members at a phenomenal rate.  Some describe the precipitous loss of membership year after year as “bloodletting.”

As a matter of fact, this past week I received an email that was sent to the wrong address.  A woman was attempting to contact a mainline church that was accepting of transgender ideology.  She was notifying them that she was no longer going to be attending and that she was moving her membership.

I wrote her back and said, “Amen!  Unfortunately, you got the wrong church.”

There is no doubt that it will only be a matter of time before these denominations become extinct.  The question is why?  What is the cause for their evident evaporation?  The answer should be clear from our text.

At the turn of the 20th Century these denominations began to compromise the gospel.  They first modernized Christianity to fit with the times.  Then, in the 1960’s they began to shift again with the times; this time taking a more existential or postmodern approach to Christianity.  

The fact of the matter is that they no longer upheld the truth of the gospel.  Jesus no longer a historical figure who physically rose again from the dead, literally ascended into heaven as the victorious Son of God.  For them, man had become essentially good and Jesus had become nothing more than an inspirational figure.  

Having compromised the gospel, the ministry of the shepherd-teacher fell apart.  Yes, they still have ministers.  There are still people filling pulpits, but they are not necessarily filling the office of the shepherd-teacher.  They are like wolves.

Thus the two critical items for maintaining unity in the bond of peace have been lost.  And because they are missing, the churches cannot be maintained.  There is no cohesion which can keep them together.  People are walking away and the churches are dying out.

This should be a lesson for us.  We should take note.   How do we maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?  How can the church of God be kept from disintegrating?  

It is by each and every one of us making intentional efforts to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.  It is by being careful to be humble, gentle, patient and forbearing.  

To do this we must remember that Jesus Christ has entered into heaven again.  He has only done so because he has brought about a great victory on our behalf.  What’s more, He has not only triumphed over sin, death, and Satan, but he has given to his church men who would be faithful to proclaim the will of God.    

And it is as we follow Christ, beholding him as our victor, and as we take heed to the word that his leaders preach, then we shall find that our church not only exists, but it thrives.  Unity will be maintained, our faith will grow, and the culture around us will give way to the Lordship of our God.